QATAR CONFIRMS FIRST THREE CASES OF H1N1

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DOHA 000398

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KFLU AEMR AMED ASEC CASC KFLO TBIO KSAF KPAO PREL
PINR, AMGT, MG, QA
SUBJECT: QATAR CONFIRMS FIRST THREE CASES OF H1N1

REF: DOHA 397

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(U) KEY POINTS
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-- Qatar publicly announced 16 June its first three confirmed cases
of H1N1. One is an AMCIT toddler who was transiting Doha (see
reftel),while a second is an Iraqi student who returned to Qatar
after participating in the State Department-funded Youth Exchange
and Study (YES) program. All three patients are stable and
improving, according to the Ministry of Health.

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(SBU) COMMENT
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-- Post has "if-asked" press guidance on-hand and sent a warden
message 17 June on the latest developments.

-- Separately, the U.S. military has drafted an agreement with the
Qatari Ministry of Health to take custody of U.S. service members
arriving with flu-like symptoms. The agreement is awaiting
signature by the Ministry of Health.

End Key Points and Comment.

Confirmed Cases
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1. (U) The Ministry of Health announced 16 June that three H1N1
cases had been diagnosed in Qatar. The first was a two-year old
child from New Zealand who arrived in Doha 13 June on a flight from
Australia via Dubai (Emirates Air 409 from Melbourne and Emirates
Air 843 from Dubai). The child was accompanied by two members of
his family who are residing in Qatar. He was diagnosed with H1N1
early 16 June after symptoms of the flu appeared two days after his
arrival in Doha and he was admitted to a local pediatric emergency
center. The Minister of Health said the child and his family were
given medication and he is now recovering.


2. (U) The second case was a two and a half-year old AMCIT child who
arrived 14 June on the direct Qatar Airways flight from New York
(see Reftel). The child and members of his family have received
medication and have been isolated.


3. (U) According to the Ministry's press statement, a medical team
was sent to ensure that all who had contacts with the infected
patients had not contracted the influenza. Moreover, the statement
urged all those from the two flights to present themselves to a
health center if they felt symptoms such as high fever or any
respiratory inflammation or coughing.

Qatari YES Participant with Flu-Like Symptoms
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4. (U) Separately, the Ministry confirmed H1N1 in a 17-year old
Iraqi student living in Qatar who recently returned from the State
Department-funded Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program in the U.S.
(Note: This follows the confirmed cases of H1N1 among Bahraini and
other students on the same program). The Ministry asked the local
AMIDEAST representative for the names and phone numbers of all other
YES returnees in Qatar (which he provided) so they could be
contacted and evaluated for possible symptoms.

Rumors, Confusion Over Evaluation Procedures
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5. (U) Two anecdotes below illustrate local concerns over H1N1, the
difficulty of managing information, and the sensitivity in the
Qatari medical community over travelers coming from the U.S.


6. (U) Following the Ministry's public announcement, rumors began
swirling via text message that a local McDonald's employee had been
infected with H1N1 and the restaurant shut down. Late in the
evening, the Supreme Health Council sent out a text message to all
mobile subscribers denying that any restaurants had been closed and
calling on residents to trust information from official sources
only.


7. (U) One of Post's U.S. staff members encountered confusion at a
private hospital (Al Ahli) 15 June when her mother, visiting from
the U.S., exhibited allergy-like symptoms and went to the hospital
for evaluation and medicine. Concerned about her recent arrival
from the U.S., the hospital staff isolated the patient and her
daughter for 3 hours, then transported them via ambulance to Hamad
Hospital, and then another medical facility for two more hours
before a doctor finally made the determination that she exhibited no
H1N1-like symptoms and could be released. (Note: This anecdote also

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points to the apparent lack of common procedures in the private
medical community for evaluating potential cases.)


8. (U) At the same time, the MOH is trying to manage public
perceptions. During a press conference yesterday, MOH officials
assured Qatar's preparedness for an outbreak and advised that H1N1
is not now as dangerous as many people fear. Citing the much higher
death rates for seasonal flu, one official noted that "swine flu can
be easily treated if detected in time and the patient could recover
in just five days."

Update on U.S. Military Agreement with Qatar
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9. (SBU) U.S. medical personnel at Al-Udeid Air Base (AUAB) in Qatar
have reached agreement with the Qatari MOH on a procedure whereby
AUAB representatives will take custody of suspected cases of U.S.
service members arriving at Doha International Airport for
evaluation by US medical personnel (the agreement is waiting for
final signature from the Qatari side). (Note: Thermal scanners and
a screening process are in place on base to screen arriving
passengers. All U.S. military personnel transiting AUAB from
outside the CENTCOM Area of Operations are now required to go
through a screening process 7-days and 24-hours before their travel
through the base.)

LEBARON