US embassy cable - 05HANOI2826

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 HANOI 002826 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - DO NOT POST ON THE INTERNET 
 
STATE FOR G; CA/OCS/ACS/EAP; EAP/EX; EAP/MLS; 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) 
NSC FOR FSHIRZAD AND JMELINE 
HOMELAND SECURITY COUNCIL FOR RVENKAYYA 
USAID FOR ANE AND GH (DCAROLL, SCLEMENTS AND PCHAPLIN) 
STATE PASS USTR (ELENA BRYAN) 
STATE ALSO PASS HHS/OGHA (WSTEIGER AND EELVANDER) 
ROME FOR FAO 
USMISSION GENEVA FOR HEALTH ATTACHE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, CASC, EAGR, PINR, SOCI, PGOV, VM, AFLU, HIV/AIDS 
SUBJECT: HHS SECRETARY LEAVITT'S MEETING WITH VIETNAMESE 
PRIME MINISTER PHAN VAN KHAI 
 
1. (SBU) Summary:  U.S. Secretary of Health and Human 
Services (HHS) Michael Leavitt met with Vietnamese Prime 
Minister Phan Van Khai October 14 to discuss bilateral 
health cooperation and mutual concerns about avian influenza 
(AI).  The Prime Minister outlined Vietnam's commitment to 
tackle AI, and described his Government's efforts to date. 
In the area of health cooperation, he also requested U.S. 
support for the establishment of Biosafety-Level 3 labs, 
expansion of HIV/AIDS care and prevention, AI vaccine 
production, improving Vietnam's health care system 
(particularly at the local level), providing training for 
Vietnamese health care workers and spurring private-sector 
investment in the Vietnamese health care sector.  The 
Secretary described U.S. efforts underway to address both AI 
 
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and HIV/AIDS, including a pledge to assist with the 
development of lab facilities and the facilitation of HHS 
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of HIV/AIDS 
drugs manufactured in Vietnam.  The Secretary also pledged 
to cooperate with Vietnam in a transparent manner on AI, and 
called on the GVN to do the same with the United States and 
the international community.  End Summary. 
 
2. (SBU) U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael 
Leavitt met October 14 with Prime Minister Phan Van Khai, 
joined by Minister of Health Tran Thi Trung Chien.  The 
Ambassador and other delegation members (full U.S. list in 
paragraph 13) joined the Secretary.  The Prime Minister 
opened by welcoming the Secretary and his delegation and 
expressing his appreciation for the Secretary's efforts to 
find ways to promote bilateral health cooperation, and, in 
particular, implementing the commitment of President Bush to 
assist Vietnam in controlling AI. 
 
3. (SBU) The Secretary thanked the Prime Minister for his 
Government's efforts to cooperate with the United States in 
health and many other areas, and for Vietnam's generous 
offer of assistance after Hurricane Katrina.  The Secretary 
made a point of saying the United States is well aware of 
the losses Vietnam has suffered from AI.  During today's 
meetings with GVN officials (reported septel), including the 
Minister of Health, the Secretary said, we expressed our 
willingness to offer financial, personnel and technical 
assistance, including laboratory and other equipment, to 
Vietnam to help it to combat AI.  Another issue discussed 
was for the need to develop regional surveillance mechanisms 
around the world to track AI. 
 
4. (SBU) HIV/AIDS was another important issue discussed 
during the Prime Minister's meeting with the President, the 
Secretary continued, and one issue raised in today's 
 
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meetings was the need to introduce into Vietnam generic anti- 
retroviral drugs given tentative approval by HHS/FDA that 
will allow more people to receive treatment.  Bilateral work 
on an AI vaccine was another topic of discussion, the 
Secretary noted. 
 
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5. (SBU) Vietnam is a poor country that needs the assistance 
of its international partners, such as the United States, in 
addressing health issues like AI, the Prime Minister said. 
Vietnam has a plan to deal with AI, and one part of it is 
the program to vaccinate all birds in Vietnam, including 
ducks and chickens, he indicated.  These vaccinations have 
been carried out in 34 of 64 provinces and cities, according 
to the Prime Minister, but there could be a ten-day delay in 
carrying out the program because of the need to import 
vaccines from another country.  (NOTE:  The GVN is importing 
avian vaccine from the People's Republic of China.  END 
NOTE.)  The Prime Minister went on to describe the second 
part of the GVN's efforts, the establishment of a 
comprehensive AI monitoring and control mechanism throughout 
the country, which includes the slaughter of infected birds. 
Vietnam's preventive measures also include checking the 
transport of birds and livestock throughout the country and 
halting the importation of livestock.  These steps show the 
determination of Vietnam and the Vietnamese people to combat 
AI, the Prime Minister said, and Vietnam strongly supported 
President Bush's announcement about AI. 
 
6. (SBU) Because Vietnam is poor, it needs assistance in the 
establishment of laboratories to examine and test livestock, 
the Prime Minister continued.  Therefore, he said Vietnam 
would greatly appreciate support for the construction of two 
Biosafety-Level 3 labs in the north and south of Vietnam to 
monitor and detect diseases.  If AI is allowed to mutate 
from an animal to a human disease, it will become a 
dangerous pandemic, but Vietnam is determined to prevent 
this from happening, indicated the Prime Minister.  If there 
is an outbreak, the GVN will do its best to limit it to a 
small area, but the GVN would welcome U.S. support for 
personnel and equipment to monitor AI, the PM reiterated. 
 
7. (SBU) Vietnam also welcomes U.S. support for HIV/AIDS 
prevention and care, the Prime Minister said.  The GVN is 
undertaking many steps to raise awareness of this dangerous 
disease, he indicated, but the number of those infected 
continues to grow.  HIV/AIDS is negatively affecting the 
Vietnamese people, particularly youth, and Vietnam looks 
forward to continued World Health Organization and HHS 
support and cooperation in the cause of fighting HIV/AIDS, 
according to the Prime Minister.  Vietnam also hopes to work 
on an HIV/AIDS vaccine, he said, particularly because the 
disease particularly targets poor people, and any assistance 
the USG can render would be greatly appreciated. 
 
8. (SBU) The GVN has no greater mission than the care of the 
Vietnamese people, proclaimed the Prime Minister, but 
poverty and a poor health care infrastructure make this 
difficult, he noted.  The GVN has thus budgeted eight 
trillion dong (approximately USD 51 million) to treat people 
at the district level, rather than at central health care 
facilities, which are increasingly overtaxed.  However, this 
plan requires health personnel and equipment; very often, 
one hospital bed has two people in it, according to the 
Prime Minister.  In Vietnam's socio-economic plan for the 
years 2006-2010, health care has a particular focus, he 
said, and the GVN looks forward to working with its 
international partners on this matter. 
 
9. (SBU) Vietnam also recognizes that the United States has 
one of the best health care systems in the world and would 
welcome HHS and other USG support for the education and 
training of Vietnam's health care workers, the PM continued. 
Very often, Vietnamese people travel abroad for medical 
treatment; this is an economic burden, he said.  The Prime 
Minister pointed to Health Minister Chien and indicated that 
she often has questioned why the GVN does not make more 
efforts to improve its health care system rather than 
expending financial resources on transportation and other 
infrastructure projects, the PM admitted.  Unfortunately, he 
lamented, Vietnam's economic situation does not allow this, 
and, with a small smile, said perhaps the Health Ministry 
ought to work harder to find creative solutions, such as 
encouraging more private-sector investment in health care. 
Perhaps the United States could work with Vietnam to build a 
U.S.-run hospital in Vietnam, the PM suggested. 
 
10. (SBU) The Secretary responded that the idea of U.S. 
private-sector health care investment in Vietnam is worth 
exploring.  On AI, he expressed appreciation for the PM's 
comments and the GVN's commitment to address this problem, 
and noted that if AI is anywhere, the risk is everywhere. 
The GVN's efforts to vaccinate birds represent bold actions 
that the rest of the world can use as a model.  Furthermore, 
Vietnam's willingness to both monitor AI and vaccinate 
poultry shows its solid commitment to tackle this problem. 
 
11. (SBU) In terms of ways to help Vietnam, the United 
States is prepared to assist in the development of 
laboratory facilities, both in agricultural and human 
diagnosis, the Secretary continued.  The Unites States is 
committed to working with the Minister of Health to 
implement the Prime Minister's and the President's vision 
for bilateral health cooperation.  On the development of a 
human AI vaccine, the Secretary had extensive discussions at 
the National Institute for Health and Epidemiology on ways 
to assist Vietnam's development of proper clinical trials 
for maximum effectiveness and safety.  There were also 
discussions on ways to assist Vietnam to win HHS/FDA 
tentative approval for the HIV/AIDS drugs manufactured here, 
which would make them eligible for purchase under the 
President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.  The Secretary 
noted that he and Minister Chien also discussed ways for 
lower cost (and HHS/FDA-approved) generic drugs to be 
imported until Vietnam can manufacture its own that have 
HHS/FDA tentative approval. 
 
12. (SBU) In closing, the Secretary pledged the commitment 
of the United States to continue to cooperate transparently 
with Vietnam in fighting AI, and asked the GVN to do the 
same with the United States and the international community. 
We have good relations on the agricultural side, and we will 
work hard to cooperate on the human side to ensure that we 
know immediately if there is a problem, he added.  The Prime 
Minister agreed, and urged HHS to work directly with 
Minister of Health Chien to implement bilateral plans and 
actions. 
 
13. (U) U.S. Participants 
 
The Secretary 
Ambassador Marine 
Dr. Paula Dobriansky, Under Secretary of State for Democracy 
and Global Affairs 
Dr. James Butler, Deputy Under Secretary for Farm and 
Foreign Agricultural Services, USDA 
Dr. Kent Hill, Acting Assistant Administrator for Global 
Health, USAID 
Dr. Julie Gerberding, Director, Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention, HHS 
Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute for Allergy 
and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, HHS 
Dr. William Steiger, Special Assistant for International 
Affairs, HHS 
 
14. (U) Secretary's Leavitt's party cleared this message. 
 
BOARDMAN