US embassy cable - 05HANOI537

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Identifier:	05HANOI537
Wikileaks:	View 05HANOI537 at Wikileaks.org
Origin:	Embassy Hanoi
Created:	2005-03-04 11:10:00
Classification:	UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Tags:	EAID ECON VM ESCI
Redacted:	This cable was not redacted by Wikileaks.

UNCLAS HANOI 000537 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV, OES, E AND G 
 
STATE PASS USAID-WALTER NORTH, DAA 
 
STATE PASS HHS FOR OGHA/STEIGER 
 
BANGKOK FOR USAID-TIM BEANS 
 
USDA FOR APHIS ADMINISTRATOR DEHAVEN AND DR. JOSEPH 
ANNELLI, APHIS 
 
DOD FOR OSD/ISA/AP FOR LEW STERN 
 
FROM THE AMBASSADOR 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: EAID, ECON, VM, ESCI 
SUBJECT: VIETNAM: AVIAN INFLUENZA ASSISTANCE NEEDS 
 
REF: A) Hanoi 467 B) Hanoi 502 
 
1. (SBU) Post has been sending the Department regular 
reporting cables (Ref A) on the avian influenza (AI) 
situation in Vietnam.  While life is normal on the 
streets of Vietnam, should the increasingly pessimistic 
forecasts of the World Health Organization come true, 
Vietnam and her neighboring countries could face a 
significant pandemic with a staggering loss of life. 
 
2. (SBU) The Embassy has already taken a number of 
planning steps.  An interagency working group is 
tracking the situation.  HHS staff has been involved 
with the rest of the international health community and 
attended and reported on the AI meeting in Ho Chi Minh 
City last week (Ref B).  Work on an Embassy action plan 
has already begun in case the current outbreak starts 
shifting towards a pandemic.  In short, the situation 
here is calm, and the Embassy is doing what it should. 
As the World Health Organization points out, though, 
there is the potential of a significant disaster. 
 
3. (SBU) With that in mind, we would urge that agencies 
in Washington have this as high on their individual 
list of priorities as we do.  Since policy level 
interagency discussions are undoubtedly underway in 
Washington, we would appreciate receiving an update on 
those meetings.  It would be useful for those 
discussions also to include an early consensus on what 
our respective agencies should do now to help prevent 
the current situation from becoming an epidemic. 
 
4. (SBU) In Vietnam, both the Ministry of Agriculture 
and Rural Development (MARD) and the Ministry of Health 
(MOH) are doing what they can with limited resources. 
What they now require more of are veterinarians, 
technicians and laboratory equipment.  These are needed 
to improve quickly the reach and quality of the 
agricultural surveillance systems and the supporting 
laboratory testing capacity.  FAO is coordinating 
support to MARD while WHO is assisting MOH.  Other 
countries here are already beginning to work to 
coordinate assistance. 
 
5. (SBU) On February 21, MARD submitted through FAO to 
the donors a list of requests for specific types of 
assistance.  This list includes a trust fund for in- 
kind donations as well as a call for various experts to 
assist in country in areas such as prevention and 
detection and poultry industry restructuring.  Post is 
transmitting the MARD request through FAO to EAP/BCLTV. 
MOH has not yet submitted a specific list to WHO and 
the donors.  Nonetheless, HHS has already been 
providing support.  Additional U.S. support from other 
agencies coordinated through the country team would be 
welcome, appreciated and useful. 
 
MARINE 
 
 
NNNN