UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 001396

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, CH
SUBJECT: H1N1 INFLUENZA OUTBREAK - CHINA SITREP # 17

REF: A) BEIJING 1377 B) BEIJING 1362 C) BEIJING 1352 D) BEIJING
1335


TWELVE A (H1N1) CASES CONFIRMED, FIRST AMCIT CASE
-------------- --------------


1. (U) As of May 26, China's Ministry of Health (MOH) has announced
twelve confirmed cases of influenza A (H1N1) on Mainland China.
There are five confirmed cases in Beijing, and one case each in the
following cities: Chengdu, Jinan City (Shandong Province),
Guangzhou, Fuzhou (Fujian Province), Wenzhou (Zhejiang Province),
Shanghai, and Changsha (Hunan Province). Of the twelve A (H1N1)
cases, eleven are Chinese citizens, and one, the fourth confirmed
case in Beijing, is an American citizen. This is the first case of a
foreigner with confirmed A (H1N1) in China. Hong Kong also has
seven confirmed cases of influenza A (H1N1).


2. (SBU) Beijing's Foreign Affairs Office (FAO) notified Embassy
Beijing on May 22 that an American citizen had been confirmed as
influenza A(H1N1) positive and was being treated in isolation at
Ditan Hospital. The AmCit, a 65-year old male, flew from New York to
Beijing on Air China CA982, arriving on May 21.


AMCIT QUARANTINE CASES
--------------


3. (SBU) As of May 26, 41 American citizens are reported to be in
quarantine throughout China. Seven are quarantined in Beijing, one
in Hunan Province, nine in Fujian Province, and 24 in Guizhou
Province.

--One AmCit, Beijing's fourth confirmed case of influenza A (H1N1)
is in isolation at Ditan Hospital. An AmCit DOE contractor is also

quarantined at Ditan Hospital after experiencing flu-like symptoms
and requesting to be tested for the H1N1 virus. Another five AmCits
are in quarantine at the Jinglin Hotel, four of whom were sitting
within three rows of the confirmed AmCit case on the May 21 CA982
flight into Beijing, and one of whom arrived in Shanghai on the May
22 China Eastern MU588 flight with the confirmed case in Zhejiang
Province and who later traveled to Beijing. Beijing ACS has been in
direct contact with all seven AmCits quarantined in Beijing.

--Hunan FAO reported that three AmCits who arrived on the May 22 MU
588 flight into Shanghai were quarantined over the weekend in Hunan.
Beijing ACS has confirmed that two out of the three were released on
May 26 and is working to contact and confirm the status of the
remaining AmCit.

-- There are nine American citizens who are known to be quarantined
in hospitals in the Fuzhou area (Fujian Province). All were in
close contact with a 22-month old baby, China's eighth confirmed
case of influenza A (H1N1), who arrived on the May 20 Dragonair
KA662 flight from Hong Kong to Changle. None of the nine are
reported to have symptoms.

--Twenty-four American citizens are currently in quarantine in a
hotel in Kaili, Guizhou Province. The group was quarantined on May
25 after a passenger on their United 869 flight from San Francisco,
QN]sHF">Asymptoms.


VARYING H1N1 SCREENING PROCEDURES
--------------


4. (SBU) In spite of new Civil Aviation Administration of China

BEIJING 00001396 002 OF 002


(CAAC) requirements for in-flight temperature screenings to be
performed by flight crews on domestic carriers (REF A), anecdotal
reports of screenings show that implementation is inconsistent and
actual procedures vary.

--In one case, a China Eastern flight crew conducted temperature
checks on passengers halfway through the flight, and then again upon
landing, before cabin doors were opened. In another case, an Air
China flight crew did not perform any checks during the flight,
waiting for local quarantine officials to board the flight and
perform temperature checks prior to disembarkation.


5. (SBU) Health and quarantine officials performing onboard
temperature screening on arriving passengers took different levels
of precaution, as was apparent by the types of protective gear they
used. On one American Airlines flight from Chicago to Shanghai
Pudong Airport, local officials boarded the aircraft wearing full
body quarantine suits, while passengers on Air China flights from
both Osaka and Tokyo to Beijing reported that quarantine officials
wore regular uniforms and surgical masks, and were not/not wearing
quarantine suits.


BEIJING OFFICIALS COMBAT H1N1 PROFITEERING
-------------- --------------


6. (U) According to press reports, Beijing Municipal authorities
have set fines of up to half a million RMB (USD 72,900) for
businesses who try to exploit the H1N1 panic by raising prices of
flu-related products, such as medicine and protective equipment. To
combat profiteering, the Beijing (Municipal) Development and Reform
Commission will monitor business practices and the prices for key
products. Press reports also indicate that while prices for these
products are so far stable, at least in Beijing, the price of pork
has dropped noticeably in the last month, in spite of official
efforts to minimize the fear of eating pork.


PICCUTA