US embassy cable - 05TAIPEI4645

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 TAIPEI 004645 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PLEASE PASS TO AIT/W, EAP/RSP/TC AND OES/IHA 
HHS PLEASE PASS TO ERIKA ELVANDER 
GENEVA PLEASE PASS HEALTH ATTACHE DAVID HOHMAN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AMED, AMGT, CASC, ECON, SENV, SOCI, TBIO, TW, ESTH 
SUBJECT:  TAIWAN:  AVIAN FLU UPDATE 
 
REF: A) SECSTATE 151549  B) TAIPEI 3598  C) TAIPEI 
3742  D) TAIPEI 3713  E) TAIPEI 4067  F) TAIPEI 
4264  G) TAIPEI 4128  H) TAIPEI 4160 
 
1.(U) Summary.  Taiwan has protested British claims that 
birds from Taiwan carried the H5N1 virus to the UK. Council 
of Agriculture (COA) authorities claim that Taiwan is 
currently free of H5N1 and that the Taiwan birds had 
undergone several checks and were certified healthy before 
they were shipped. Cross- Straits communication on AI has 
taken place on a number of occasions this year, primarily 
though Taiwan NGO's. Taiwan plans to beef up its liaison 
with health organizations in Hong Kong and Macau to be 
prepared for a possible AI outbreak. Taiwan authorities will 
hold talks with Roche concerning licensing of the Tamiflu 
vaccine and are confident they can produce generic version 
of the drug. End Summary 
 
Taiwan Doubts UK's AI Report 
---------------------------- 
 
2.  Taiwan's Council of Agriculture (COA) has complained to 
British authorities about reports that 53 birds imported 
from Taiwan died in quarantine outside of London from the 
deadly H5N1 virus.  The UK claims that a parrot imported 
from Suriname in late September, which tested H5N1 positive, 
had caught the deadly virus from silver-eared mesias birds 
imported from Taiwan while they were all held in quarantine 
together. 
 
3.  A shipment of 185 birds, including 100 mesias, supplied 
by a farm in central Taiwan left Taiwan by air Sept. 27 and 
arrived in Britain on Sept. 28.  According to UK officials, 
4 mesias died on arrival and 49 mesias died while in 
quarantine.  In October, British authorities first alleged 
that a parrot imported from Suriname and held in quarantine 
near London had been found to have the H5N1 viral strain, 
and another bird held there, a Taiwan mesia, may have also 
caught it.  However, On Nov. 16, the British concluded that 
it was the mesias imported from Taiwan that most likely was 
the source of the H5N1 virus. 
 
4.  COA officials told AIT that Taiwan authorities strongly 
objected to the report, saying that Taiwan is currently free 
of H5N1 and that the Taiwan birds had undergone several 
checks and were certified as healthy before they were loaded 
onto the plane.  COA officials doubt the accuracy of the 
British report and have raised several questions.  The 
British report stated that the 49 Taiwanese mesia birds died 
on Oct. 7, which is ten days after arrival.  COA believes it 
unlikely that the infected birds could have survived until 
that day if the mesias had contracted the H5N1 virus before 
arriving in England. Aside from the 100 mesias, all the rest 
of the 85 birds from Taiwan tested H5N1 negative and were 
culled on Oct. 21.  COA questions why birds from Suriname 
and Taiwan were kept in the same quarantine space and why 
tests were pooled. COA also questioned the discrepancy in 
the number of mesias.  COA officials told AIT that Taiwan's 
records show the shipment contained exactly 100 mesia birds, 
however, the British report put the number at 101.  The 
British reports also showed that no tests had been done on 
34 birds from Suriname which arrived on Sept. 16, but which 
died before the Taiwan mesias died on Oct. 7.  UK 
authorities only took samples of the two Suriname birds that 
were found dead on arrival.  It is unclear how many mesias 
UK authorities examined had tested positive with H5N1. 
Taiwan officials stated that the British report is ambiguous 
and COA believes that the H5N1 virus existed in the 
quarantine facility before the Taiwan birds arrived. 
 
5.  Taiwan's Bureau of Animal Plant Health Inspection and 
Quarantine Bureau (BAPHIQ) told AIT that Taiwan is deeply 
concerned over this issue and has delivered protest messages 
to the British Trade Office in Taipei, but has not received 
a response. Taiwan will send veterinary epidemiologists to 
the UK soon to examine the situation.  In addition, BAPHIQ 
plans to send a letter to both British officials and the 
World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) to express 
dissatisfaction with the way the incident was handled by 
British authorities. 
 
Bird Flu Subvirus Found in Tainan, Not a Threat 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
6.  The Animal Quarantine Division of BAPHIQ confirmed on 
Nov. 17 that it detected H7N3 virus in bird droppings found 
in a wetland in Tainan on Nov 14. BAPHIQ announced to the 
public and confirmed to AIT that H7N3 is a low pathogenic AI 
virus and poses no threat to humans.   BAPHIQ stated samples 
will be taken from every chicken farm within a 3 km radius 
of where the H7N3 virus was found in Tainan for the next 
three months.  Taiwan's Animal Health Research Institute, a 
facility under COA, has conducted routine AI surveillance of 
migratory water fowl since August 1998.  During that time, 
it has tested more than 20,000 samples and detected avian 
influenza virus strains in 270 of the samples (as of October 
2005).  None of the strains isolated were highly pathogenic 
or H5N1.  The samples were collected from six different 
locations throughout Taiwan.  The Institute also tests 
commercial poultry operations on a routine basis.  As of 
Nov. 15 this year, 2,475 samples of AI virus of migratory 
birds have been taken, and samples have been collected from 
524 chicken farms, 85 duck farms and 52 goose farms. 
 
Cross-Strait AI Exchanges 
------------------------- 
 
7.  China's Taiwan Affairs Office announced on Nov. 16 that 
China's Cross Strait Agriculture Exchange Association has 
notified Taiwan of the PRC's AI status through Taiwan NGOs - 
the Red Cross and Medical Associations - fifteen times 
already this year.  However, as China confirmed on Nov. 16 
its first human cases of AI, Taiwan's Mainland Affairs 
Council said that AI cases have been found in eleven of 
China's provinces, but China has only announced six cases. 
Taiwan plans to seek enhanced communications with health 
authorities in Hong Kong and Macau and with international 
health organizations to be better prepared in the event of 
further AI outbreaks in China. 
 
Tamiflu Licensing 
----------------- 
 
8.  Taiwan's Office of Intellectual Property is scheduled to 
hold talks with Roche Nov. 18 in Taipei on licensing Tamiflu 
for production by Taiwan firms. The National Health Research 
Institute reiterated its ability to produce a generic 
version of anti-viral Oseltamavir. CDC Director Steve Kuo, 
after returning from a WHO AI conference held in Geneva on 
Nov. 15, said that on the issue of Roche releasing the 
Tamiflu patent the WHO has been purposely ambiguous except 
to say on-going negotiations have been taking place and 
favorable progress has been made.  Kuo said that some 
nations had expressed doubts over whether Taiwan could make 
a generic version of the drug, but he was confident that 
Taiwan could do so.  Kuo also stated that WHO planned to 
hold regional AI drills around the world and that Taiwan 
hoped to participate. 
 
Paal