VZCZCXRO3363
RR RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHHI #0687/01 1020036
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 120036Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5120
INFO RUEHUJA/AMEMBASSY ABUJA 0031
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 0065
RUEHKB/AMEMBASSY BAKU 0009
RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 5598
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 6883
RUEHBM/AMEMBASSY BUCHAREST 0001
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 0013
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 0092
RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA 0657
RUEHKV/AMEMBASSY KYIV 0033
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 0746
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0375
RUEHPF/AMEMBASSY PHNOM PENH 3666
RUEHVN/AMEMBASSY VIENTIANE 3937
RUEHOS/AMCONSUL LAGOS 0019
RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH 2880
RUEHZS/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC//USDP/ISA/AP//
RHMFISS/CJCS WASHINGTON DC//J2/J3/J5//
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC//DHO-3//
RHMFIUU/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI//J00/J2/J3/J5//
RHEFAFM/DIRAFMIC FT DETRICK MD//MA-1A//

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 HANOI 000687 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR G/AIG/JKOWALSKI, PCLERKIN AND SES-O/CMS/LGISVOLD 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS, EAP/EP, INR, OES/STC, OES/IHA, MED 
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR ANE AND GH 
STATE PASS TO HHS/OGHA (WSTIEGER, DBELL AND ABHAT) 
STATE PASS TO CDC (NCOX AND AMOHEN) 
USDA PASS TO APHIS 
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FOR OSD/ISA/AP (LSTERN) 
BANGKOK FOR RMO, CDC, USAID (JMACARTHUR AND MBRADY) 
ROME FOR FAO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KFLU KPAO SENV OCII AJ CB CA CH EG IN ID LA MX
NL, PK, RS, TH, TU, UP,     VM 
SUBJECT: UPDATE ON OUTBREAK COMMUNICATION STRATEGY IN VIETNAM AVIAN 
INFLUENZA PLANS 
 
HANOI 00000687  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
UNCLASSIFIED 
 
SIPDIS 
 
REF: STATE 22991 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY.  The Socialist Republic of Vietnam (GVN) has a 
comprehensive prevention and control approach for avian and pandemic 
influenza (AI) based on a national surveillance system in the 
developing world context.  The approach integrates both animal and 
human health sectors.  The GVN leadership and management structure 
effectively reaches all levels of government, from the Prime 
Minster's office down to the district commune.  The approach is 
based on a national plan, which specifically addresses preparedness. 
 The plan is aggressive by international standards and has proven 
effective during recurring animal and human outbreaks over recent 
years.  The implementation now falls under a partnership framework 
between the National Steering Committee for Avian Influenza (GVN) 
and international partners through a Vietnam Partnership for Avian 
and Human Pandemic Influenza (PAHI), established in November 2006. 
HHS/CDC has a cooperative agreement, which includes effort to 
provide technical assistance to update this type of planning. 
Experience with SARS provided momentum for building AI preparedness. 
 END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (U) The national plan is contained in two documents: Vietnam's 
Integrated National Plan for Avian Influenza Control and Human 
Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response, 2006-2008 (also known 
as the "Red Book") and The Vietnam Integrated National Operational 
Programme for Avian and Human Influenza (OPI), 2006-2010 (known as 
the "Green Book" See: http://www.avianinfluenza.org.vn (under 
"resources," under "documents," accessed 04/11/2007). 
 
¶3. (U) The GVN has conducted and participated in pandemic response 
exercises at the national and international regional level.  See 
list below.  It has trained rapid response teams at national, 
provincial, and district levels.  On the human health side, hospital 
staff has been trained in detection, diagnosis, and management of 
influenza suspects.  There has been some effort to upgrade capacity 
(i.e., equipment and staff training) and to deal with respiratory 
failure (e.g., in the use of ventilators and oxygen, planned 
training on personal protective equipment).  Preparation and 
response also characterizes the animal health side.  The approach 
includes systems for early detection, reporting, rapid response with 
compensated culling, isolation, quarantine, and the implementation 
of a comprehensive poultry immunization program.  Regulations for 
safer poultry rearing, slaughtering and marketing are in place and 
longer term industry reforms are moving forward.  Vietnam is taking 
an increasingly important regional role in training and support. 
Multi-agency USG support, both technical and financial, to the GVN 
and the assistance of other international partners has contributed 
substantially to Vietnam's preparedness capacity. 
 
¶4. (U) The list of trainings and exercises should be put in the 
context of the chronology of six "waves" of animal AI outbreaks 
(12/2003, 4/2004, 12/2004, 10/2005, 12/2006, and 3/2007) and 
 
HANOI 00000687  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
confirmed human cases were related to the first four waves. 
Further, the trainings should be understood in the context major 
communications efforts on the part of the GVN (some examples include 
01/28/04: Prime Minister issued the decision No 13/2004 QD-TTg to 
establish the National Steering committee for AI control and 
prevention; 2004: 64 Provincial Steering Committees for AI Control 
and Prevention were established; 11/2006: Establishment of 
Partnership on Avian and Human Influenza (PAHI); 12/22/06: Urgent 
message 2119/CD-TTg by Prime Minister to direct authorities to 
control AI). 
 
¶5. (U) The list of trainings and exercises below includes the date, 
title (location or frequency), and if available, estimated total 
number of participants and sponsor. This is partial list.  There is 
no known centralized catalogue for this data.  The data was 
collected by Post from Ministry of Health (MOH), Ministry of 
Agricultural and Rural Development (MARD), and Vietnamese and 
English language press. 
 
2004, Training for community health workers, 1500, 30 training 
courses, GVN 
 
2004, Training for public health officials (five courses), 150, 
World Bank (WB) 
 
2005, Tabletop exercise (Hanoi), 300, GVN 
 
2005, Tabletop exercise (Hue), 300, GVN 
 
2005, Tabletop exercise (Ho Chi Minh), 300 staff, GVN 
 
2005, Conference on avian influenza for regional health officials 
(four locations), 300, GVN 
 
2005, Tabletop exercise, (four locations), 1500, GVN 
 
2005, Training for community, district level (three locations), 
1800, GVN 
 
2005, Training for provincial and district public health workers 
(three locations), 250, WHO 
 
2006, Tabletop exercise (Thai Binh Province), 300, United Nations 
Joint Program (UNJP) 
 
2006, Tabletop exercise (Vinh Phuc Province), 300, UNJP 
 
2006, Tabletop exercise (Can Tho Province), 300, UNJP 
 
2006, Tabletop exercise (Quang Binh Province), 300 
 
2006, Conferences for hospital health workers and ministerial 
officials (Hanoi, Hue, Ho Chi Minh), 180, WHO 
 
 
HANOI 00000687  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
2006, Tabletop exercise (Can Tho, Vinh Phuc, Quang Binh, Thai Binh 
Provinces), 1200, WHO 
 
2006, Training on AI containment and prevention (23 Provinces), 
1610, WHO 
 
2006, Training on AI treatment therapy (10 Provinces), 500, GVN 
 
2006, Training on using ventilator for central, provincial hospital 
(24 cities and Provinces), 1200, GVN 
 
2006, Training on WHO's Early Warning and Reporting System (EWARS) 
for provincial and district public health workers (59 courses), 
2950, WHO/FAO/UNDP 
 
2006, Training for SARS control and prevention and other diseases 
(Hanoi), 90, WHO 
 
2006, Training for influenza surveillance A/H5N1 (Hanoi), 360, WHO 
 
06/02/2006, Conference to support National activities on 
coordination program against bird flu and human AI, WB MARD 
 
01/07/2007, Quang Nam province conducted a tabletop exercise in the 
event of an H5N1 human outbreak (Quangnam Province), 700, GVN 
 
3/2007, National workshop on Influenza Surveillance, 65, US CDC 
 
3/2007, Training course for sentinel hospitals (two locations) 90, 
US CDC 
 
MARINE