H1N1 INFLUENZA OUTBREAK - CHINA SITREP # 17

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