MGSF01: TWO ADDITIONAL H1N1 CASES CONFIRMED IN ISRAEL;

UNCLAS TEL AVIV 000986

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

NIH FOR INTERNATIONAL
DEPT FOR OES/IHB,NEA/IPA,AND CA/OCS
MED FOR SRINIVASAN AND MCFADDEN
HHS/OSSI FOR MARK ABDY


E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: TBIO KFLU AEMR ASEC CASC KFLO KSAF KPAO PREL PINR
AMGT, MG, AMED, WHO, IS, JO, KWBG, EG
SUBJECT: MGSF01: TWO ADDITIONAL H1N1 CASES CONFIRMED IN ISRAEL;
REGIONAL HEALTH COOPERATION EFFORTS RESUME

REF: A) STATE 41745 B) TEL AVIV 932 C) TEL AVIV 949 D) TEL AVIV 958


1. (SBU) Over the weekend two additional cases of H1N1 were
confirmed in Israel, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in
the nation up to four. To date, all reported H1N1 infections in
Israel have been in people who have recently visited Mexico; no
secondary transmission has been observed. A 34-year old man was
identified Friday as the third case, but he recovered so quickly
that Ministry of Health officials approved his release from the
hospital on Saturday, despite established guidelines mandating a
one-week isolation and observation period. The patient and his
partner agreed to continue isolation in their home. A 20-year old
woman, the most recent case, remains in isolation in a Tel Aviv
hospital, but the Ministry of Health reports she is recovering well.
As a precaution, the Ministry of Health has requested that all
those who have visited Mexico in the past seven days observe a
voluntary one-week quarantine in their homes.


2. (SBU) The Middle East Consortium for Infectious Disease
Surveillance (MECIDS) met last Friday at the World Health
Organization offices in East Jerusalem, ending a two-year hiatus.
MECIDS is comprised of representatives from Israel, the Palestinian
Authority, and Jordan, and has coordinated previous efforts in avian
flu pandemic preparedness and foodborne disease surveillance.
Israeli media reported that a representative from the Egyptian
embassy in Israel, who also attended the meeting, indicated that
Egypt may soon join the consortium. Dr. Alex Leventhal, Director of
International Relations for the Ministry of Health, told post ESTH
office that at the meeting Israel promised to help Jordan and the
Palestinian Authority examine patients suspected of having
contracted the H1N1 virus and to perform screening of blood samples
(PCR) at its central laboratory in Tel Hashomer. Leventhal said the
meeting was highly cooperative and resulted in a good exchange of
information among the participants, including some discussion
regarding what he referred to as a shortage of medications available
in Jordan and the Palestinian Authority. He said that Jordan
reported having only enough flu medication for five percent of its
population, while the Palestinian Authority reported having enough
for less than one percent. (This was also reported in Israeli
media, but was not confirmed directly.) According to Leventhal,
neither Jordan nor the Palestinian Authority requested assistance
from Israel in obtaining more medication; rather both would pursue
support from the World Health Organization and the World Bank. The
participants agreed to reconvene in two weeks.

CUNNINGHAM