US embassy cable - 05HANOI2324

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 HANOI 002324 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR G; CA/OCS/ACS/EAP; EAP/EX; EAP/BCLTV; EAP/EP; INR; 
OES/STC (MGOLDBERG); OES/IHA (DSINGER AND NCOMELLA) 
BANGKOK FOR RMO, CDC, USAID/RDM/A (MFRIEDMAN) 
USDA FOR FAS/PASS TO APHIS 
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FOR OSD/ISA/AP (LSTERN) 
USAID FOR ANE AND GH (DCAROLL, SCLEMENTS AND PCHAPLIN) 
STATE PASS USTR (ELENA BRYAN) 
STATE ALSO PASS HHS/OGHA (EELVANDER) 
ROME FOR FAO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AMED, AMGT, CASC, EAGR, PINR, SOCI, PGOV, TBIO, VM, AFLU 
SUBJECT: VIETNAM: AVIAN INFLUENZA WEEKLY REPORT FOR 
SEPTEMBER 8, 2005 
 
REF: Hanoi 2289 and previous 
 
1.  (U) Summary.  There have been no new human cases of 
Avian Influenza (AI) since Mission Vietnam's last reporting. 
The Government of Vietnam (GVN) is continuing its poultry 
vaccination program and the Ambassador attended a Donors' 
Chief of Mission Meeting on September 5 to discuss AI and 
the GVN's response to date.  The United Nations Pandemic 
Preparedness Mission Team will give an outbrief about its 
mission to Vietnam and preliminary findings about the GVN's 
emergency plans to the diplomatic community on September 9. 
End Summary. 
 
No New AI Cases 
--------------- 
 
2. (U) There has been no new human cases of AI since Mission 
Vietnam's last reporting.  As reported in reftel, the 
Vietnamese press reported a fatal case of the H5 strain on 
August 28 in a district near Hanoi.  Despite repeated 
attempts, the World Health Organization (WHO) has not been 
able to confirm any additional details formally or 
informally about the case or whether the victim actually 
died of H5N1 AI.  According to WHO, testing for H5N1 AI is 
still ongoing and has not been confirmed to be the cause of 
death. 
 
Donors' Chief of Mission Meeting 
-------------------------------- 
 
3. (SBU) The Ambassador attended a September 5 Donors' Chief 
of Mission Meeting that discussed AI and the GVN's response 
to date.  UNDP Country Representative Jordan Ryan stated 
that the GVN, to date, has not endorsed the funding plan put 
together by UNDP/WHO/FAO.  This plan is divided into two 
parts: an emergency response to cover needs for the next six 
months and a longer-term approach covering the following 18 
months.  The Emergency response portion has been approved by 
the relevant ministries and is being currently reviewed by 
the Prime Minister's office.  Ryan believes the GVN will 
soon also endorse the longer-range approach. 
 
4. (SBU) Interestingly, the Thai Ambassador complained that 
there were too many meetings and not enough action by the 
donors.  He noted that Thailand is ready to help Vietnam 
through in-kind donors but as a major poultry exporter, 
Thailand is not ready to adopt a poultry vaccination 
approach.  The ADB Country Director appealed for continued 
close coordination and stressed that any mission evacuation 
decisions need to be carefully coordinated, otherwise some 
expatriate personnel may well have problems leaving once the 
story of the first departures breaks. 
 
WHO and FAO Briefing & UN Team Visit 
------------------------------------ 
 
5. (U) The WHO and FAO gave an AI update briefing to the 
diplomatic community on September 6 and distributed a 
September 5 document prepared by FAO/Hanoi that outlines USD 
2.1485 million in emergency requirements to support the 
national poultry vaccination program.  According to the FAO, 
the GVN is carrying out its plan to vaccinate up to 60 
million birds twice over the next several months, beginning 
with two pilot provinces.  As of August 31, 3.2 million 
poultry have been vaccinated in Tien Giang Province and 3.5 
million in Nam Dinh Province.  Prior to starting 
vaccinations in the other 46 provinces to be covered (out of 
a total of 64), it will be necessary to build strong support 
at the commune and village level to assure full compliance. 
 
6. (U) The list of major requirements to continue Vietnam's 
nationwide poultry vaccination program listed in the 
emergency appeal includes refrigerators, syringes, 
protective clothing and other equipment; technical 
assistance (High Pathogenic AI coordinator, vaccination 
expert, etc.); and, program support to cover mobilization of 
vaccinators, sample testing and laboratory costs. 
 
7. (U) During the September 5 Donors' Chief of Mission 
Meeting, the UNDP noted that it has USD 500,000 in United 
Kingdom funds it is prepared to use to cover some of these 
costs, although UNDP's Ryan noted that this money is 
currently earmarked for other purposes.  Ryan suggested that 
donors channel their contributions through UNDP.  Several 
donors counter-suggested that UNDP or World Bank discuss 
with the GVN (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, 
Ministry of Health and Ministry of Planning and Investment) 
what funding mechanism would be best. 
 
8. (U) According to Ryan, a UN Pandemic Preparedness Mission 
Team is in Hanoi through September 9 to review the GVN's 
emergency response plan and to assist the UN/Vietnam staff 
craft their own internal plan.  An outbrief with the Team is 
scheduled for September 9 and will be reported in next 
week's situation report. 
 
USG Technical Assistance/TDY Opportunities 
------------------------------------------ 
 
9.  (U) Mission Vietnam has recently learned that both the 
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have recently 
advertised to recruit AI specialists to work in Vietnam for 
short-term and long-term assignments.  USDA has identified a 
highly qualified USDA/APHIS veterinarian who specializes in 
poultry disease monitoring and control who is available to 
come to Vietnam as an Embassy Science Fellow (ESF) if the 
Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development 
(MARD) concurs.  Funding for this specialist would come from 
USDA's Emerging Market Program.  If MARD concurs, we will 
work to arrange to have this individual in country as soon 
as possible. 
 
Other AI Related Issues 
----------------------- 
 
10. (U) The Ambassador requested the GVN's support for the 
U.S. Government's intent to launch an International 
Partnership on Avian and Pandemic influenza at the United 
Nations General Assembly on September 7, 2005.  Vice Foreign 
Minister Nguyen Phu Binh stated that he was "very 
interested" in the proposal and would circulate the proposal 
to the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture 
and Rural Development before confirming Vietnam's commitment 
to the Partnership. 
 
11. (U) Post has received additional funding from EAP/PD to 
fund the distribution of a Vietnamese-language instructional 
film on AI prevention and sustainable development for the 
poultry industry.  This film would be used to provide 
information on AI prevention and education to rural areas. 
 
12. (U) Internal Preparation: The Embassy and Consulate held 
a DVC on August 25 to discuss AI preparations and tripwires. 
We are continuing to assess our needs and adjust the 
tripwires to coincide with the known epidemiology of AI. 
MINIMIZE CONSIDERED 
MARINE