VZCZCXRO8739
PP RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB
DE RUEHHI #0561 0691116
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 101116Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1084
INFO RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY PRIORITY 0695
RUEHZS/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL PRIORITY 2895
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 5468
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG PRIORITY 0846
RUEHGZ/AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU PRIORITY 0641
RUEHCN/AMCONSUL CHENGDU PRIORITY 0209
RUEHRO/USMISSION UN ROME PRIORITY
RUEHIN/AIT TAIPEI PRIORITY 1338
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA PRIORITY
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHRC/USDA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC//USDP/ISA/AP// PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/CJCS WASHINGTON DC//J2/J3/J5//
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC//DHO-3//
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI//J00/J2/J3/J5//
RHEFAFM/DIRAFMIC FT DETRICK MD//MA-1A//

UNCLAS HANOI 000561 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR G, CA/OCS/ACS/EAP, EAP/EX, EAP/MLS, EAP/EP, INR, 
OES/STC (PBATES), OES/IHA (DSINGER AND NCOMELLA), AND MED 
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR ANE AND GH (DCARROLL, SCLEMENTS AND 
PCHAPLIN) 
STATE PASS TO USTR (ELENA BRYAN) 
STATE PASS TO HHS/OGHA (WSTIEGER, EELVANDER AND ABHAT) 
USDA PASS TO APHIS 
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FOR OSD/ISA/AP (LSTERN) 
BANGKOK FOR RMO, CDC, USAID (MFRIEDMAN AND JMACARTHUR) 
ROME FOR FAO 
 
SIPDIS 
 
C O R R E C T E D C O P Y (text) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TBIO KFLU AMED AMGT CASC EAGR PINR SOCI VM
SUBJECT: VIETNAM: MARCH 10 AVIAN INFLUENZA REPORT 
 
REF: HANOI 505 AND PREVIOUS 
 
¶1.  Summary.  There have been no reported human Avian Influenza 
(AI) deaths since late October 2005 and no human cases over 
the past 105 days.  The Government of Vietnam (GVN) 
continues to issue statements that indicate no new AI 
outbreaks in poultry since December 17, 2005.  A local 
newspaper reported recently that the Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) 
Steering Committee on AI Prevention will urge the Ministry 
of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) to continue its 
ban on raising poultry within city limits until March 2007. 
The article also stated that the city's H5N1 vaccination of 
birds has not been "effective" and 72 of the 96 inoculated 
flocks brought into HCMC for slaughter since November last 
year had "failed to produce enough antibodies to fight the 
disease."  These comments appear to support a previous 
assessment by an Embassy Science Fellow attached to Ministry 
of Agriculture and Rural Development's (MARD) Department of 
Animal Health that the first nationwide poultry vaccination 
campaign had significant problems.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  As of March 109, 2006: 
 
-- No human AI deaths since October 29, 2005 
-- No new human AI cases since November 9, 2005 
-- No AI outbreaks in poultry since the last reported 
incident on December. 17, 2005, in Cao Bang Province 
 
¶3.  According to a Thien Nien News report, the HCMC Steering 
Committee on AI Prevention will ask MARD to continue the ban on 
raising poultry raising within city limits until March 2007. 
An expert from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Animal Health was 
quoted as saying that only six poultry farms in the city met 
safety requirements. Post assumes these six farms are not in 
production given the current ban on raising poultry in urban 
areas. 
 
¶4.  The preceding news report also stated that the H5N1 
vaccination of birds has not been "effective" and 72 of the 
96 inoculated flocks brought into the city for slaughter 
since November last year, had "failed to produce enough 
antibodies to fight the disease."  As reported in previous 
Vietnam AI weekly reports, an Embassy Science Fellow who 
was assigned to MARD's Department of Animal Health reported 
that the first nationwide poultry vaccination campaign had 
significant problems, including failure to produce high 
enough antibody titers in tested birds.  This article 
appears to corroborate our belief that the first vaccination 
campaign was perhaps not as effective as previously reported 
by state-owned media. 
 
¶5.  During 2005, Post received a sizeable shipment of 
Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) from the USAID 
Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) to support 
anticipated AI outbreaks in Vietnam.  With additional 
OFDA-funded PPE expected in FY06, Post is working with the 
staff of MARD's Animal Health Department and the Ministry 
of Health's National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology 
to finalize the transfer of this equipment to the GVN 
in support of its poultry vaccination,  AI surveillance, and 
outbreak response team activities. 
 
MARINE