TFFLU01: H1N1 INFLUENZA OUTBREAK - CHINA SITREP # 15

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 001362

HHS FOR OGHA
CDC ATLANTA FOR CCID, AND PASS TO FLU COX AND MOUNTS AND
COGH BLOUNT AND KELLEY

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KFLU AEMR ASEC CASC KFLO TBIO KSAF KPAO PREL PINR
AMGT, MG, EAGR, HHS, TF, CH
SUBJECT: TFFLU01: H1N1 INFLUENZA OUTBREAK - CHINA SITREP # 15

REF: A) BEIJING 1352 B) BEIJING 1335 C) BEIJING 1317 D) BEIJING
1298 E) BEIJING 1283 F) BEIJING 1274 G) BEIJING 1264



H1N1 CASES AND STATUS OF AMCIT QUARANTINE CASES
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1. (U) China's Ministry of Health (MOH) announced on May 20 that
the suspected case in the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) was
not/not influenza A (H1N1),but was seasonal influenza H3. As of May
20, there are four confirmed cases of influenza A (H1N1) on Mainland
China (REF A, B, E and G). Hong Kong also has three confirmed cases
of influenza A (H1N1).


2. (SBU) As of May 20, four American citizens are reported to be in
quarantine throughout China. MOH declared the suspected case in the
TAR to be not/not A (H1N1),and asked the local health authorities
to release the rest of the group in Zhangmu from quarantine,
including the six AmCits (REF A). Two AmCits are quarantined in
Beijing at Ditan Hospital, a third is in Shanghai, and the fourth is
in Guangzhou.


DISRUPTIONS TO DELEGATIONS BETWEEN THE U.S. AND CHINA
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3. (SBU) Although the MFA has continued to deny any official changes
in visa policies or travel bans, several USG agencies, U.S. host
institutions and other private organization have reported that their
Chinese counterparts have postponed or cancelled meetings, visits
and events due to concern over the H1N1 virus. Chinese groups of
agencies have cancelled their own visits to the U.S., rescinded
invitations to visiting U.S. delegations and cancelled or
indefinitely postponed joint and U.S.-funded workshops and training
programs. Two Chinese delegations that recently traveled to the U.S.
have reportedly been quarantined upon their return.

--A group of 20 provincial and Ministry of Human Resources and
Social Security (MOHRSS) officials was to participate in a June 6-27
DOS-funded exchange program on "Strengthening Governance through
Enhanced Public Administration" in the United States. Renmin
University (the program is being jointly implemented by Michigan
State University and Renmin University) informed Michigan State that
the program will have to be delayed due to Chinese Government
concerns related to H1N1, and indicated that "an informal notice on
postponing all out-bound training has been released within the
government."

--Beijing ESTHOFF reports at least three delegations or meetings
cancelled due to H1N1 Chinese concerns. These include a USAF/State
delegation to discuss satellite navigation issues with the China
Satellite Navigation Applications Center and a NASA-CNSA Working
Group Meeting, both of which have been postponed to an unspecified
future date. A NASA/Academia-Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) space
surveillance technical exchange in Shanghai is also likely to be
postponed.

--According to the Beijing NSF Director, an NSF-National Natural
Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Math Delegation was cancelled
last week at the request of NSFC, and President LU Yongxiang of CAS
cancelled his visit to Washington in mid-May. In both cases, H1N1
was cited as the reason for the cancellations.

--Beijing NIH/NIAID reports that a grants management training
workshop planned for June 9-11 has been postponed at MOH's request.
While the attendees would be primarily Chinese scientists, the
trainers would all come from the United States. A CAS/NIH Joint
Workshop on Environmental Pollutants and Cancer scheduled for the
end of May was also postponed.

--Xinzheng City Government's Emergency Command Center for the

BEIJING 00001362 002 OF 002


Prevention and Control of the H1N1 Virus, with the approval of the
Zhengzhou Municipal Government (Henan Province),asked SIAS
International University to postpone or cancel its Tenth Anniversary
Celebration, citing the number of H1N1 cases in the United States,
the "severity and urgency of this situation", and the need "to
protect the health of the masses". SIAS is a private American-owned
university set up in Henan in affiliation with Zhengzhou University
and in cooperation with Fort Hays State University of Kansas.

--Amcits have complained to ConGen Shenyang that the Anshan
Educational Bureau in Liaoning Province unilaterally cancelled their
Chinese Language and Cultural Immersion Program due to concerns over
H1N1.

-- A Chinese State Forestry Administration delegation to the U.S.
was informed that upon arrival back to China, due to H1N1 concerns,
they should remain in home quarantine for one week. The delegation
also reported to their U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service hosts that
they were told that future delegations to the U.S. would be
suspended until further notice. Another group of Chinese officials
were also quarantined upon their return from the U.S. to Hainan (REF
A).


4. (SBU) Beijing NIV data show that applications for visitor visas
for official government travel to the United States have dropped
drastically so far in May, likely due to H1N1 restrictions. While a
year-on-year comparison of monthly visa applications demonstrates
that official delegation travel to the U.S. has been down thus far
in 2009, probably due to the economic downturn and other internal
Chinese government policies (the decline in applications from 2008
to 2009 was 14 percent for March and 12 percent for April),the data
show a 40 percent drop in official government applications for
comparable periods in May 2008 and May 2009. This is a much larger
decline than the overall year-on-year drop in B1B2 visitor
applications for the same period (6 percent). Since official
government travel to the United States in May 2008 was already down
sharply after the Sichuan earthquake, the decline from 2008 to 2009
for the month of May so far may be even larger than the data would
indicate.


LOCAL GOVERNMENTS URGE RETURNING STUDENTS TO HOME QUARANTINE
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5. (U) According to press reports, Guangzhou Health Bureau Vice
Director General TANG Xiaoping urged overseas students not to return
to China, but if they did, requested them to remain at home for a
self-imposed quarantine for several days after arrival. Chongqing
CDC has made a similar recommendation that overseas students
returning to China stay at home for a self-imposed, seven-day
quarantine. Angry web chatter directed against the three confirmed
H1N1 cases who are returned overseas students has called on the
Chinese Government to ban overseas students from returning to China
while H1N1 is still a problem (REF A).


WEINSTEIN