VZCZCXRO1307
PP RUEHDE RUEHDH RUEHDIR
DE RUEHDO #0398/01 1681404
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 171404Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY DOHA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9153
INFO RHMFIUU/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN 0751

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DOHA 000398 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KFLU AEMR AMED ASEC CASC KFLO TBIO KSAF KPAO PREL
PINR, AMGT, MG, QA 
SUBJECT: QATAR CONFIRMS FIRST THREE CASES OF H1N1 
 
REF: DOHA 397 
 
-------------- 
(U) KEY POINTS 
-------------- 
 
-- Qatar publicly announced 16 June its first three confirmed cases 
of H1N1.  One is an AMCIT toddler who was transiting Doha (see 
reftel), while a second is an Iraqi student who returned to Qatar 
after participating in the State Department-funded Youth Exchange 
and Study (YES) program.  All three patients are stable and 
improving, according to the Ministry of Health. 
 
------------- 
(SBU) COMMENT 
------------- 
 
-- Post has "if-asked" press guidance on-hand and sent a warden 
message 17 June on the latest developments. 
 
-- Separately, the U.S. military has drafted an agreement with the 
Qatari Ministry of Health to take custody of U.S. service members 
arriving with flu-like symptoms.  The agreement is awaiting 
signature by the Ministry of Health. 
 
End Key Points and Comment. 
 
Confirmed Cases 
--------------- 
 
¶1. (U) The Ministry of Health announced 16 June that three H1N1 
cases had been diagnosed in Qatar.  The first was a two-year old 
child from New Zealand who arrived in Doha 13 June on a flight from 
Australia via Dubai (Emirates Air 409 from Melbourne and Emirates 
Air 843 from Dubai).  The child was accompanied by two members of 
his family who are residing in Qatar.  He was diagnosed with H1N1 
early 16 June after symptoms of the flu appeared two days after his 
arrival in Doha and he was admitted to a local pediatric emergency 
center.  The Minister of Health said the child and his family were 
given medication and he is now recovering. 
 
¶2. (U) The second case was a two and a half-year old AMCIT child who 
arrived 14 June on the direct Qatar Airways flight from New York 
(see Reftel).  The child and members of his family have received 
medication and have been isolated. 
 
¶3. (U) According to the Ministry's press statement, a medical team 
was sent to ensure that all who had contacts with the infected 
patients had not contracted the influenza.  Moreover, the statement 
urged all those from the two flights to present themselves to a 
health center if they felt symptoms such as high fever or any 
respiratory inflammation or coughing. 
 
Qatari YES Participant with Flu-Like Symptoms 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (U) Separately, the Ministry confirmed H1N1 in a 17-year old 
Iraqi student living in Qatar who recently returned from the State 
Department-funded Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program in the U.S. 
 (Note: This follows the confirmed cases of H1N1 among Bahraini and 
other students on the same program).   The Ministry asked the local 
AMIDEAST representative for the names and phone numbers of all other 
YES returnees in Qatar (which he provided) so they could be 
contacted and evaluated for possible symptoms. 
 
Rumors, Confusion Over Evaluation Procedures 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (U) Two anecdotes below illustrate local concerns over H1N1, the 
difficulty of managing information, and the sensitivity in the 
Qatari medical community over travelers coming from the U.S. 
 
¶6. (U) Following the Ministry's public announcement, rumors began 
swirling via text message that a local McDonald's employee had been 
infected with H1N1 and the restaurant shut down.  Late in the 
evening, the Supreme Health Council sent out a text message to all 
mobile subscribers denying that any restaurants had been closed and 
calling on residents to trust information from official sources 
only. 
 
¶7. (U) One of Post's U.S. staff members encountered confusion at a 
private hospital (Al Ahli) 15 June when her mother, visiting from 
the U.S., exhibited allergy-like symptoms and went to the hospital 
for evaluation and medicine.  Concerned about her recent arrival 
from the U.S., the hospital staff isolated the patient and her 
daughter for 3 hours, then transported them via ambulance to Hamad 
Hospital, and then another medical facility for two more hours 
before a doctor finally made the determination that she exhibited no 
H1N1-like symptoms and could be released.  (Note: This anecdote also 
 
DOHA 00000398  002 OF 002 
 
 
points to the apparent lack of common procedures in the private 
medical community for evaluating potential cases.) 
 
¶8. (U) At the same time, the MOH is trying to manage public 
perceptions.  During a press conference yesterday, MOH officials 
assured Qatar's preparedness for an outbreak and advised that H1N1 
is not now as dangerous as many people fear.  Citing the much higher 
death rates for seasonal flu, one official noted that "swine flu can 
be easily treated if detected in time and the patient could recover 
in just five days." 
 
Update on U.S. Military Agreement with Qatar 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶9. (SBU) U.S. medical personnel at Al-Udeid Air Base (AUAB) in Qatar 
have reached agreement with the Qatari MOH on a procedure whereby 
AUAB representatives will take custody of suspected cases of U.S. 
service members arriving at Doha International Airport for 
evaluation by US medical personnel (the agreement is waiting for 
final signature from the Qatari side).  (Note: Thermal scanners and 
a screening process are in place on base to screen arriving 
passengers.  All U.S. military personnel transiting AUAB from 
outside the CENTCOM Area of Operations are now required to go 
through a screening process 7-days and 24-hours before their travel 
through the base.) 
 
LEBARON