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