MGSF01 May 8 UPDATE ON JAPAN'S RESPONSE TO H1N1 OUTBREAK

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TOKYO 001057 DEPT FOR OES/IHB AMBASSADOR LOFTIS DEPT FOR EAP/J, EAP/EX, CA USDA PASS TO APHIS, FAS FOR BURDETT HHS PASS TO CDC HHS FOR OGHA DEPT PASS TO AID/GH/HIDN SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KFLU AEMR AESC CASC KFLO TBIO KSAF KPAO PREL PINR AMGT, MG, EAGR, JA SUBJECT: MGSF01 May 8 UPDATE ON JAPAN'S RESPONSE TO H1N1 OUTBREAK REF: A) TOKYO 965; B) TOKYO 982; C) TOKYO 993; D)TOKYO 1008; E)TOKYO 1024; F)TOKYO 1030; G)TOKYO 1043 TOKYO 00001057 001.2 OF 002 This Message is Sensitive but Unclassified. Please handle accordingly. ¶1. (SBU) Summary: No human cases of Type A H1N1 influenza have been confirmed in Japan. The Chief Cabinet Secretary said the GOJ has no current plans to take additional steps should the WHO raise its pandemic alert level to Phase Six. A 6-year-old boy living in Chicago is the first Japanese citizen confirmed to have been infected with the H1N1 virus. A Japanese boy in Hokkaido who visited the U.S. in April and showed flu symptoms May 7 was later determined not to be infected with H1N1. Some local health centers are having difficulty contacting passengers who arrived from the U.S., Canada, and Mexico in the past 10 days to monitor their health per Health Ministry instructions. A public event at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni attracted a record crowd despite H1N1 concerns. The Agriculture Minister said Japan is not considering closing its market to pork imports in the wake of reports H1N1 has infected pigs in Canada. End Summary. ¶2. (U) As of May 8, 2009 1700 local time, no human cases of the novel Type A H1N1 influenza have been confirmed in Japan. ¶3. (SBU) Asked about Japan's reaction to the possibility of the WHO raising its pandemic alert level to Phase Six, Chief Cabinet Secretary Kawamura told the press "the GOJ has no plans at this moment to take additional steps in such an event" and added the GOJ will continue the current enhanced quarantine procedures in place at ports of entry. An official at Japan's National Institute for Infectious Diseases (NIID) said May 8 that the GOJ should prepare hospitals and other facilities for an eventual H1N1 outbreak in Japan. The NIID official also noted the institute received the H1N1 virus stock from the CDC and passed genetic exam kits to local health research institutes to enable local confirmation of the H1N1 virus. ¶4. (SBU) Foreign Minister Nakasone told the press May 8 that a 6-year-old Japanese boy living in Chicago is the first Japanese national confirmed to have been infected with the H1N1 virus. The boy was hospitalized in Chicago May 5 and was confirmed with the H1N1 virus May 7. Media reported the boy is recovering and none of his family members are infected with the H1N1 virus. ¶5. (SBU) A Japanese boy who was hospitalized in Hokkaido May 7 with serious flu symptoms and had visited the U.S. April 17 to 30, later tested negative for H1N1 infection, according to media reports. ¶6. (SBU) Health Ministry officials confirmed they are requiring local health centers to contact passengers who arrived from the U.S., Canada, and Mexico within the past 10 days to monitor their health condition. According to officials, arriving passengers are required to complete questionnaires that include contact information in Japan. However, some local health offices report they are having difficulty implementing the policy. ¶7. (SBU) Officers at the Marine Corps Air Station in Iwakuni said a May 5 public event attracted a record 275,000 attendees, despite calls from a local organization for the Marine Corps to cancel the event due to H1N1 concerns. Some local reports attribute the increase in visitors to discounted expressway tolls established for the recent Golden Week holiday as part of the GOJ's economic stimulus measures. TOKYO 00001057 002.2 OF 002 ¶8. (SBU) Responding to reports Canadian pigs have been infected with the H1N1 virus, Agriculture Minister Ishiba told the press May 8 that "Japan is not considering closing its market to pork imports at the moment." Fifteen pigs imported to Japan from Canada are currently undergoing testing at an animal quarantine station, according to media reports. ZUMWALT