CROATIA DISCOVERS FIRST CASE OF H1N1 FLU

UNCLAS ZAGREB 000409 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KFLU AEMR PREL CASC PINR AMGT HR SUBJECT: CROATIA DISCOVERS FIRST CASE OF H1N1 FLU ¶1. The Croatian Ministry of Health (MOH) announced over the July 5-6 weekend that it has detected the first confirmed case of H1N1 flu in Croatia. A 60 year-old Australian woman of Croatian origin, arriving from Sydney on July 1, showed flu-like symptoms and checked into a hospital on July 2nd. She was treated and subsequently released on July 5 for recovery with relatives at home. Her husband, who had traveled with her, has shown no symptoms. According to the Health Minister, the case was confirmed in a Ministry reference lab using four separate tests. Unlike in previous suspect cases, the Croatian authorities did not send their sample to London for confirmation, ostensibly due to mistaken information and a false alarm received from the London lab during a suspected case in mid-June. ¶2. Post has reviewed its pandemic flu tripwires and will continue to monitor the situation for impacts to post operations and U.S. citizen safety. BRADTKE