H1N1 INFLUENZA OUTBREAK - CHINA SITREP # 19

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIJING 001548 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 # 19 REF: A) BEIJING 1466 B) BEIJING 1396 C) BEIJING 1377 D) BEIJING 1362 97 CASES OF 2009 A/H1N1 CONFIRMED, 27 AMCIT CASES -------------- -------------- ¶1. (U) As of COB June 9, China's Ministry of Health (MOH) has officially communicated information about 97 confirmed cases of infection by the novel 2009 influenza A/H1N1. 27 of those confirmed cases involve American citizens. Confirmed cases have been detected in nine provinces and the municipalities of Beijing and Shanghai, with the greatest number of cases occurring in Guangdong Province (24),Fujian (15),Sichuan (10),Beijing (25),and Shanghai (11). Of the 97 confirmed cases, MOH reported that as of June 8, 50 infected patients had recovered and been released from treatment. The remaining 47 are being treated in isolation at local designated hospitals. ¶2. (SBU) Cases involving American citizens have been reported in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong Province (multiple locations),Fujian Province (Fuzhou),Sichuan Province (Chengdu),Hubei Province (Wuhan),and Henan Province (Zhengzhou). Consular officers in Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Shanghai have established and maintained contact with Amcits being treated in local hospitals. ¶3. (SBU) In addition to the 27 confirmed cases involving American citizens, nine Canadian nationals have been confirmed as having been infected by the novel 2009 influenza A/H1N1 virus, as well as one Australian national, one French national, and one Venezuelan national. MEDIA TURNS SPOTLIGHT ON SOME CASES -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Local media outlets reported on June 4 that a Chinese student on summer break from studies in the United States had visited the Embassy Beijing visa section waiting room on June 2, before being tested and confirmed for infection by influenza A/H1N1 on June 3. The articles published an hourly timeline of the patient's activities in the days leading up to being confirmed for H1N1. ¶5. (SBU) The Beijing Foreign Affairs Office (FAO) had earlier notified the Embassy on June 4 of this case, and requested that the Embassy a) provide names of Embassy staff (including interviewing visa officers) who had close contact (within about 2 meters) with the sick applicant; b) provide the names and means of contact for applicants who might have had close contact (within about 2 meters) with the sick applicant, and c) sterilize the visa waiting room. ¶6. (SBU) At a meeting led by CDA Piccuta on June 4, it was determined that staff and visa applicant names would not be shared with authorities, due to privacy concerns. Instead, the appropriate response would be to continue encouraging staff and applicants to observe good hygiene practices. Consular staff were then briefed by Post medical professionals on risks of transmission and recommended countermeasures. Consular staff also contacted directly the visa applicants who would have been in closest proximity to the student in the waiting room, apprising them of the event and urging them to seek medical attention should they themselves develop symptoms. ¶7. (SBU) Perhaps related to this publicized case, the Beijing Public Security Bureau also contacted Embassy Beijing on June 5, formally requesting that they meet with Embassy staff to a) discuss how to ensure foreigners' safety when they travel to Beijing under the current H1N1 influenza outbreak situation, e.g. tracing them, what to do if some are quarantined, etc; and b) discuss how to prevent a "panic" among the foreign population, and c) discuss means BEIJING 00001548 002 OF 003 for establishing a communications channel. A team of representatives from HHS, ACS, Management, and RSO are scheduled to take the meeting on June 12. ¶8. (SBU) Separately, international and local media reported on June 8 that New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin, his wife, and a staff member are being quarantined in Shanghai. Mayor Nagin's party had arrived in Shanghai from Newark on June 6, and due to a confirmed case of H1N1 within three rows of where the three were sitting on the flight, local health officials contacted the party on June 7, requesting that they agree to being quarantined at the designated quarantine hotel in Shanghai. Mayor Nagin's party have cooperated fully with the authorities and have reported to CDA Piccuta and Shanghai consular staff that they are being treated with utmost courtesy by local officials. None of the three in quarantine have displayed any influenza symptoms. On June 9, Shanghai ACS submitted a letter to the Shanghai FAO, requesting that given the continued lack of symptoms exhibited by the three, the Mayor and his party be permitted to depart China as soon as possible for Sydney, the next stop on their pre-set itinerary. As of 1800 local time on June 9, Shanghai FAO was still considering the request. CANCELLATIONS IN OFFICIAL TRAVEL -------------- ¶9. (SBU) Post continues to hear stories of cancellations or postponements of plans for travel of official and non-official delegations, both that of Chinese going to the United States, and that of Chinese hosts revoking invitations to host delegations from the United States. The Embassy Cultural Affairs Office received word from the All-China Journalists Association on June 2 that a Voluntary Visitors delegation of six Chinese journalists had been instructed to postpone indefinitely their travel to the United States, originally scheduled for late-June. At least half a dozen other Embassy-sponsored Chinese cultural exchange visitors or delegations also have cancelled or delayed their travel to the United States. Separately, the Shenyang FCS office reported that they have halted preparations to send a delegation of thirteen to Las Vegas and San Diego to attend the Waste Expo and the All American Water Works Conference June 7-18. The delegation, all of whom are members of the Liaoning Provincial Private Business Enterprise Association, canceled due to concerns of being quarantined upon return to China. ¶10. (SBU) In addition to outright trip cancellations, Post received in the last week numerous reports of American exchange students being quarantined without specific symptoms by their local hosts. Their stays with local schools were interrupted because their local exchange program hosts have adopted a strict interpretation of the official recommendation to "self-monitor" for seven days, for those arriving from H1N1-affected areas including the United States. CHINA BEGINS PRODUCTION ON VACCINES -------------- ¶11. (U) Xinhua reported on June 9 that Sinovac Biotech Company, a vaccine-focused biotech state-owned enterprise (SOE) based in Beijing, has begun the process for manufacturing a vaccine for H1N1. Sinovac had received from the World Health Organization (WHO) on June 8 samples of the H1N1 flu strain described as "NYMCX-179A." The State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) reports that it is coordinating among Sinovac and the ten other pharmaceutical companies equipped to produce influenza vaccines. While Sinovac currently is the only local company with the capacity to batch-produce influenza vaccines for pandemics, the company announced on Monday that it would share "key technologies" with the other ten vaccine producers. According to SFDA, if all eleven companies produce at full capacity, China could produce up to 360 million doses annually. BEIJING 00001548 003 OF 003 PICCUTA