US embassy cable - 05HANOI3009

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 HANOI 003009 
 
SIPDIS 
 
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 NOVEMBER 
10, 2005 
 
REF: A) Hanoi 2293; B) Hanoi 3000; C) Hanoi 2991 
 
1. (U) Summary.  There has been one new confirmed AI human 
fatality in Vietnam since Hanoi's last reporting on November 
3.  This death on October 29 is Vietnam's 42nd from AI.  The 
first phase of the nationwide poultry vaccination campaign 
has been completed in 50 of 64 provinces in Vietnam, but it 
is likely that vaccination programs could continue until 
2008.  The Government of Vietnam has also temporarily banned 
all imports of live poultry and birds and their unprocessed 
(uncooked) products.  Recent AI outbreaks among poultry in 
Bac Giang Province and the first human death in three months 
may signal the beginning of this winter's AI season.  End 
Summary. 
 
ONE NEW HUMAN AI FATALITY 
------------------------- 
 
2. (U) Vietnam confirmed its 42nd human death from 
AI on November 8, its first in three months.  The 35 year- 
old man died on October 29, 2005 after being admitted to a 
Hanoi hospital four days after his family bought a prepared 
chicken from a market near his house in the Dong Da District 
of Hanoi.  There is still no clear indication, however, 
whether he died from eating infected chicken or was exposed 
to infected poultry.  Members of his family did not show any 
AI symptoms. 
 
PREVIOUS AI SUSPECT CASES 
------------------------- 
 
3. (U) Post followed up with the World Health Organization- 
Vietnam (WHO) on three reported hospitalized cases of severe 
respiratory illnesses in Quanh Binh Province that occurred 
at the end of October 2005.  None of the cases were related 
nor lived in the same location.  A 14 year old girl and 26 
year old man were admitted to the hospital with acute 
respiratory infections but initially were not suspected as 
AI (reftel A).  Both individuals died but no samples for 
laboratory diagnosis were obtained from either of these 
cases. 
 
4. (U) A third suspected case of AI was admitted to Hue 
University Hospital and survived.  Samples from the 27 year 
old man were taken for analysis, but results are still 
pending.  All three cases are still under investigation by 
the Ministry of Health (MOH) and WHO.  The WHO asked MOH's 
Department of Preventive Medicine to check close contacts of 
all three cases and as of November 9, none of the contacts 
have become symptomatic. 
 
5. (U) Pasteur Institute's Department of Microbiology and 
Immunology Director and Head of the Laboratory of Enteric 
and Respiratory Viruses Dr. Phan Van Tu informed the Consul 
General (CG) in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) on November 4 that 
if the suspected AI cases in northern Vietnam were 
confirmed, such confirmation would imply that the AI season 
is beginning a month earlier than last year.  Dr. Tu is the 
official responsible in southern Vietnam for testing 
suspected samples for avian flu in humans.  However, others 
note that there were suspected occurring as early as 
September 2003.  At that time, the relationship of the 
disease to poultry was not well-recognized.  In addition, we 
note that isolated AI cases have also occurred  sporadically 
across Vietnam this summer as well. 
 
TAMIFLU FOR VIETNAM? 
-------------------- 
 
6. (SBU) The press has reported in the last two weeks that 
the Government of Vietnam (GVN) has been negotiating with 
Roche to produce Tamiflu.  According to a November 8 Tuoi 
Tre Daily article, Roche "officially agreed to grant a sub- 
license of manufacturing the antiviral drug to Vietnam's 
Public Health Ministry" and the firm also pledged that 
production in Vietnam would begin in two months.  Post has 
not been able to verify this information with MOH. 
 
7. (SBU)  On November 8, Minister of Health Tran Thi Chung 
Chien told the Ambassador that there is no firm agreement 
with Roche.  She asked for U.S. assistance in persuading 
Roche to give Vietnam a license to produce Tamiflu, noting 
that Vietnam was prepared to resort to compulsory licensing 
unless Roche agreed.  The Minister also asked for U.S. help 
in finding a company to work with Vietnam to produce a human 
vaccine against AI and promised that Vietnam's National 
Preparedness Plan would be published within a week (reftel 
B). 
 
VIETNAM STEPS UP GOVERNMENT EFFORTS 
----------------------------------- 
 
8. (U) According to news reports on October 9, the MOH has 
introduced  numbe of drstic measures to contain an AI 
outbreak.  MOH has ordered hospitals to begin preparing for 
the possibility of admitting AI victims and to set up 
temporary hospitals, if needed.  The MOH will also work with 
the military and police forces to contain an AI outbreak and 
Vietnam News reported that "local government agencies have 
intensified quarantine activities at border gates and border 
districts, and have plans to isolate, monitor and provide 
timely medical treatment to people suspected of having 
contracted the H5N1 virus." 
 
VIETNAM BANS POULTRY PRODUCTS 
----------------------------- 
 
9. (U) The Prime Minister signed a resolution November 4 for 
the control of AI that among other measures puts a temporary 
ban on all imports of live poultry and birds and their 
unprocessed (uncooked) products (reftel C).  The Embassy was 
told the resolution is effective immediately although it has 
still not been published in the media.  Although labeled 
temporary, no end-date was given for the ban.  There is no 
scientific basis for a ban of this sort from all countries 
whether they have AI or not.  A letter from Ambassador 
Marine to Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development 
Minister Cao Duc Phat in anticipation of the ban noted this 
and expressed the Embassy's concern. 
10. (U) USDA/APHIS veterinarian Dr. Cheryl Hall arrived in 
Vietnam this week for a two-month TDY.  She is working 
directly with the Department of Animal Health on evaluating 
Vietnam's vaccination program and establishing a post- 
vaccination surveillance program.  Dr. Hall's visit should 
improve communication channels and direct cooperation on AI. 
 
11. (U) The first phase of the nationwide poultry 
vaccination campaign targeting high risk bird populations 
has been completed in 50 of 64 provinces in Vietnam but it 
now appears that the vaccination program could continue 
until 2008.  The goal is to build up the program until it 
reaches a point where enough of the poultry population is 
continuously vaccinated that the virus can no longer sustain 
itself.  At that point, the program could be ended if 
effective measures to prevent reintroduction from wild birds 
were in place. 
 
12. (U) The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development 
(MARD) confirmed that AI cases in poultry have been detected 
in six provinces, including Hanoi, Bac Giang, Thanh Hoa, 
Quang Nam, Dong Thap and Bac Lieu.  Press reports note that 
between October 25-30, 3,000 ducks died in Bac Giang 
Province due to AI.  On November 10, there were reports of 
an AI poultry outbreak in Hai Duong Province, but we have 
not been able to confirm this report with MARD. 
 
13. (U) Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Program 
Officer Fabio Friscia told the HCMC CG that he felt that the 
current outbreak coincided "more or less" with the timing of 
last year's AI outbreak in poultry. (Note:  FAS and FAO 
comments about AI outbreaks in poultry, along with 
confirmation of the AI death of the individual in northern 
Vietnam and the Pasteur Institutes comments, implies that we 
may be able to consider -- if not now, then soon -- that 
this winter's AI season in Vietnam has already begun for 
poultry (and possibly for humans.)  End Note). 
 
OTHER NEWS 
---------- 
 
14. (U) European Commissioner for Health and Consumer 
Protection Markos Kyprianou was in Vietnam for a three day 
visit this week and announced that the EU was planning to 
grant 30 million euros to avian flu-affected countries in 
Asia, including Vietnam as one of the major recipients.  The 
fund would be used for long-term AI plans. 
 
EMBASSY AI PREPARDNESS 
---------------------- 
 
15. (SBU) Post requested and received approval for a 
$250,000 increase to Post's Class B Cashier's advance to be 
used during a major/significant AI pandemic crisis.  The 
U.S. Consulate General in HCMC is in the process of 
determining how much of an increase to their Cashier's 
advance they would need in a worst-case AI pandemic crisis. 
 
WHAT, NO CHICKEN ON THE MENU? 
----------------------------- 
 
16. (U) An informal telephone survey of ten Hanoi 
restaurants has revealed that chicken is no longer available 
on most restaurant menus.  Six out of ten restaurants 
contacted on November 9 said that chicken was not available 
due to the "chicken flu" or because it was no longer 
available in the market.  One restaurant said that duck was 
available and assured us that it was from France.  We will 
do a survey next week on whether omelets and fried eggs are 
still available for breakfast in Hanoi restaurants. 
 
MARINE