US embassy cable - 05HANOI2655

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 HANOI 002655 
 
SIPDIS 
 
USMISSION FAO ROME PRIORITY 
USAID/RDM-A/BANGKOK PRIORITY 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR G; CA/OCS/ACS/EAP; EAP/EX; EAP/BCLTV; EAP/EP; INR; 
OES/STC (PBATES); 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 OCTOBER 
13, 2005 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED 
 
REF: A) Hanoi 2597 and previous B) Hanoi 2609 
 
1. (SBU) Summary.  There have been no new cases of human or 
poultry Avian Influenza (AI) reported since Mission 
Vietnam's last weekly update on October 6.  The Ministry of 
Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) reported it hopes 
to extend the poultry vaccination campaign to an additional 
38 provinces by the end of October.  Embassy officials 
participated in a planning workshop organized by the 
Canadian Embassy and the Canadian International Development 
Agency (CIDA) on a new CIDA-funded Canada-Asia Regional 
Emerging Diseases (CAREID) project.  The FAO and donors 
continue to update their assistance plans.  Senior Official 
for APEC Michael Michalak met with WHO Resident 
Representative Dr. Hans Troedssons to discuss AI matters. 
The Ambassador met with MOH Vice Minister Trinh Quan Huan, 
who was recently appointed as the lead MOH official on AI 
issues (reftel B), and hosted a Town Hall meeting for 
Embassy staff on AI issues.  An AI Town Hall meeting for 
private Americans will be held on October 19.  The Embassy 
will welcome Secretary Michael Leavitt, who will be here to 
meet with GVN officials to discuss AI, October 13-15.  End 
Summary. 
 
No New Human Cases 
------------------ 
 
2. (U) There have been no new human AI cases since August 
29. 
 
Poultry Vaccination Program 
--------------------------- 
 
3. (U) MARD officials expect the delivery of previously 
delayed vaccines and equipment by mid October.  They hope to 
extend the vaccination provinces to 38 provinces by the end 
of October. 
 
4. (U) On a related matter, the GVN has chosen to focus its 
yearly disinfection campaign on AI.  The initiative asks 
poultry farmers and slaughter facility owners to disinfect 
their farms in order to prevent an outbreak of AI.  Funding 
responsibility lies with provincial authorities, therefore 
it is unclear how effective project implementation will be. 
 
U.S. and Other Donor Assistance and Coordination 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
5. (SBU) Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung chaired a 
meeting on October 12 to brief donors on steps already taken 
to control AI and to inform the group of future plans.  This 
includes a GVN contingency plan for avian influenza 
epidemics, and a human influenza pandemic as well as a 
program for emergency support prepared by the GVN, the UNDP 
and supporting UN agencies.   MARD Minister Cao Duc Phat 
followed up on October 13 with a working level meeting 
during which the donors were briefed on both plans.  The GVN 
contingency plan was presented in outline form.  It calls 
for a number of specific actions geared to possible phases 
on an epidemic and is based on the WHO six phase system. 
Phat indicated that a more detailed plan would be given to 
donors as soon as it could be translated.  He also said that 
a joint committee would be formed to exchange views with the 
donor community on a regular basis. 
 
6. (SBU) The joint UN - GVN emergency support program as 
presented provides a framework and budgetary breakout 
delineating actions to be taken, GVN partners and associated 
costs which will allow donors to better target their 
support.  An outline for the first six months of emergency 
support was given to the donors, and the joint program was 
signed in a ceremony at the end of the working session. 
(Note:  Mission will provide evaluation of the plans as more 
details become available.  FAO officials involved in the 
joint program have confirmed attendance at the USAID 
organized planning meeting in Bangkok on October 19 and 20; 
they will bring program documents to the meeting.) 
 
7. (SBU) USAID's regional AI public education program is 
ramping up.  The contractor, AED, will be setting up its 
regional headquarters in Hanoi and has assigned Mark 
Rasmusson, who has extensive experience with USAID programs 
in Vietnam, as team leader. Project staff will participate 
in the planning meeting in Bangkok and visit Vietnam 
afterwards.  In addition, the point person for USAID public 
private partnerships component will participate in the 
workshop and visit Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City afterwards as 
well. 
 
8. (SBU) USAID and HHS officers participated in a strategic 
planning workshop organized by the Canadian Embassy and the 
Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) on a new 
CIDA-funded Canada-Asia Regional Emerging Diseases (CAREID) 
project on October 10 and 11.  The goal of CAREID is to 
reduce the threat of emerging infectious diseases to human 
security, regional stability and sustainable development in 
SE Asia and China.  CIDA will provide USD 12.76 million 
through the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) over a 
five-year period (Note: correction from reftel A.  End 
note.) Participants in the workshop included officials from 
MOH, MARD, WHO, FAO, the French Embassy and the Pasteur 
Institute.  Possible project components discussed were 
issues of surveillance, outbreak investigation, laboratory 
systems, bio-safety strengthening, emergency responses, 
public communications and advocacy, and donor coordination. 
A regional project implementation plan will be distributed 
for comment late this year, with an anticipated project 
launch date in April 2006. 
 
9. (SBU) MARD reported that the U.K. Department for 
International Development has contributed funds to remediate 
inadequate vaccine refrigeration capacity at the district 
level in order to keep the vaccine appropriately chilled at 
all times. 
 
Other AI Related Issues 
----------------------- 
10. (SBU) U.S. Senior Official for APEC Michael Michalak met 
with WHO Resident Representative Dr. Hans Troedssons on 
October 10 to discuss AI issues, including Vietnam's 
capacity for research and investigation, response to a 
pandemic, and quarantine (septel). 
 
11. (SBU) The Ambassador chaired a Town Hall meeting on AI 
for Embassy staff on October 12.  The Embassy's Health 
Attache, Dr. Marie Sweeney, gave and overview of the GVN's 
plans for AI emergency preparedness and U.S. and other donor 
support.  Medical Officer Karen McGuire-Rugh discussed how 
individuals can protect themselves and their families from 
exposure to AI, described symptoms and possible treatment 
options, and suggested steps to prepare for an extended 
period of shelter in place.  Following the presentations, 
the Ambassador answered questions from the audience.  The 
meeting was videotaped for use at ConGen Ho Chi Minh City. 
The DCM will chair a similar meeting for the non-Embassy 
American community on October 19. 
 
12. (SBU) HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt will arrive in Hanoi 
on Thursday, October 13 to meet with Prime Minister Phan Van 
Khai and other senior officials to discuss AI issues. 
Accompanying the Secretary are U/S for Global Affairs Paula 
Dobriansky, CDC Director Julie Gerberding, USDA Deputy U/S 
James Butler, and USAID Acting Assistant Administrator for 
Global Health Kent Hill, and others.  The Secretary and his 
delegation will visit an AI lab, an AI vaccine production 
facility, health clinics, and a rural village that was 
affected by AI. 
 
13. (SBU) The Ambassador took the opportunity during his 
first meeting with MOH Vice Minister Trinh Quan Huan, who 
was recently appointed as the lead MOH official on AI 
issues, to emphasize yet again U.S. concerns over AI 
preparedness in Vietnam and offer continued U.S. support 
(reftel B). 
 
MARINE