TFFLU01: ESTONIAN PANDEMIC INFLUENZA PLANNING

UNCLAS TALLINN 000124 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KFLU AEMR ASEC CASC KFLO TBIO KSAF KPAO PREL PINR, AMGT, TF, EN SUBJECT: TFFLU01: ESTONIAN PANDEMIC INFLUENZA PLANNING REF A: SECSTATE 45269 B: SECSTATE 45833 ¶1. There are no suspected or confirmed cases of H1N1 Influenza A in Estonia at this time. The Estonian Government has dusted off a pandemic influenza action plan prepared in 2006, when concerns about avian influenza were at their highest. Post has spoken with GOE officials and private practitioners about actions taken so far and about possible future actions, should the virus spread to Estonia. ¶2. The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs published a travel alert on 29 April advising its citizens to avoid non- essential travel to Mexico, and on 4 May added a paragraph to its travel advice for the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Spain providing links to websites providing information about the disease. Otherwise, Estonia has imposed no restrictions on travelers in connection with the worldwide H1N1 outbreak, nor has it imposed any restrictions on trade. Although officers of the Estonian Health Inspectorate are present at airports and the busy Tallinn port, no thermal imaging equipment is being used at this time (Reftel A). However, health authorities have provided information about the influenza outbreak to personnel at Estonia's ports of entry, and have provided directions (such as guidance regarding which symptoms to look for and which hospital should be used in case of suspected H1N1 infection) to airport and port personnel as well as to family doctors and hospitals across the country. ¶3. The GOE has a special reserve of 3,000 courses of Tamiflu, acquired directly from Roche (enough to cover approximately 0.25% of the population). In addition, around 8,000 courses are available in the marketplace, with a doctor's prescription. Relenza is generally not available in Estonia. Although they have no firm data at this time, health authorities have not noticed a significant increase in demand for Tamiflu among the Estonian public. A full course of Tamiflu (10 X 75mg capsules) costs EEK 411 (approximately USD 35) in Estonia (less a 50% discount for persons covered by the national health system). ¶4. Because thousands of tourists arrive daily in Tallinn during the busy cruise ship season from May to September, Post spoke with one GOE official about Estonia's actions should a cruise ship arrive with symptomatic passengers. The official noted that Health Protection Inspectorate personnel posted to Tallinn's port would determine whether to transport symptomatic passengers to the Tallinn hospital designated for suspected H1N1 cases, or to provide treatment on site. He noted that, unlike in other countries where tourists have been quarantined in hotels, he could not foresee a situation in which non-symptomatic passengers would be quarantined in a hotel or on a visiting cruise ship in Estonia. ¶5. As requested in Reftel B, post will enter this information in the H1N1 Matrix used by the Influenza Outbreak Task Force. ¶6. At the direction of Post's EAC, Post has formed a Pandemic Influenza Working Group to monitor the situation in Estonia, and to provide advice to the EAC on actions (if any) to be taken in connection with a possible pandemic. Any actions taken by the EAC will be reported Septel. DECKER