VZCZCXRO6416
PP RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHNH RUEHPB
DE RUEHKO #2307/01 1171012
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 271012Z APR 06
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1464
INFO RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
RUEHFK/AMCONSUL FUKUOKA 5934
RUEHNAG/AMCONSUL NAGOYA 5916
RUEHNH/AMCONSUL NAHA 8559
RUEHOK/AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE 9125
RUEHKSO/AMCONSUL SAPPORO 7107
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC 8232
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TOKYO 002307 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AIAG AMBASSADOR LANGE 
DEPT FOR OES/IHA SINGER AND FENDRICK 
DEPT FOR EAP/J 
USDA PASS TO APHIS 
HHS PASS TO CDC 
HHS FOR OGHA STEIGER, BHAT AND ELVANDER 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TBIO KFLU KSTH ECON PREL SOCI WHO JA
SUBJECT: AVIAN INFLUENZA: JAPAN WEEKLY REPORT APRIL 27 
 
REF: A. 05 STATE 153802 
 
¶B. TOKYO 2135 AND PREVIOUS 
¶C. TOKYO 1613 
 
TOKYO 00002307  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  The following is an update on avian influenza (AI) 
developments in Japan for the period April 19 to 27.  No 
human or animal outbreaks of H5N1 avian influenza were 
reported in Japan during the past week. 
 
- Japan's 19.3 Million to OIE and FAO Further Discussed - 
 
¶2. On April 25 and 26, the Ministry of Agriculture, 
Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), OIE and FAO jointly hosted a 
meeting in Tokyo to provide guidance for the GOJ's trust 
fund to assist with highly pathogenic avian influenza 
(HPAI) control in Southeast Asia.  The conference consisted 
of two days of meetings and a one-day site visit to the 
National Institute of Animal Health to evaluate diagnostic 
needs.  Eight target recipient countries participated in 
the meetings, and included Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, 
Malaysia, Burma, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. 
Each of the eight countries gave a presentation on its AI 
status and requests for assistance. OIE and FAO also gave 
presentations on the mechanisms for assistance.  APHIS 
Regional Director and APHIS Area Director attended the 
conference as observers. 
 
 
 
¶3.  During the conference, the participants discussed the 
effective use of Japan's USD 19.3 million contribution to 
the OIE and FAO.  (For details on Japan's overall USD 159 
million AI assistance pledge, see ref C.)  Japanese 
representatives gave a presentation on Japan's AI status 
and on the guidelines for the trust fund.  Diagnostic 
equipment will be a major component of Japan's assistance 
program.  Other components include: contingency planning, 
an early warning system, training for surveillance and 
control activities, increasing lab diagnostic and 
surveillance capacity, strengthening veterinary services, 
and public and industry awareness.  The exact amounts 
allocated to these activities have not yet been determined, 
but a timeline for addressing allocation and other issues 
of implementation has been set up.  The funds for this 
program are limited to the current fiscal year that ends in 
March 2007. 
 
 
 
¶4.  The draft summary report of the conference included 
several sections -- identifying needs for each country, 
explaining the roles of the FAO and OIE in these activities 
and projects, and timelines for broad project 
implementation.  Throughout the conference, certain themes 
were emphasized and re-emphasized -- harmonizing control 
efforts, coordination among international organizations and 
donors, recognizing regional/national/local needs, the 
importance of compensation (reporting) and industry 
restructuring (change production practices), strengthening 
veterinary services, training and technical assistance, and 
resources (diagnostic equipment).  The final report will be 
completed by June. 
 
 
 
¶5.  APHIS Area Director introduced two USDA training 
efforts that are targeted for the region -- Epidemiology 
and Foreign Animal Disease Diagnosis, and introduced the 
new USDA office in Bangkok to manage HPAI issues for SE 
Asia. 
 
-- Criteria for Human AI Cases Defined -- 
 
¶6.  On April 24, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare 
(MHLW) decided on the criteria it would use to define 
suspected human cases of H5N1 avian influenza infection. 
 
TOKYO 00002307  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
The Ministry's Health Sciences Council Infectious Diseases 
Panel is discussing the finalization of MHLW's AI 
diagnostic and treatment guidelines.  MHLW will apply the 
guidelines to individuals who have had contact with dead 
birds and birds or humans infected or likely infected with 
the virus.  If these individuals have a fever that is 
higher than 38 degrees centigrade, pneumonia or respiratory 
difficulty they will need to be placed under medical 
observation and further examined.  If the avian influenza 
virus or its genes are detected, MHLW will officially 
designate the individual as a confirmed human AI case.  The 
Ministry plans to finalize the guidelines and release them 
to the prefectures in June. 
 
-- Last Chirp Heard from Sick Ibaraki Birds -- 
 
¶7.  On April 21, Ibaraki Prefecture announced that it has 
finished culling all chickens that were infected with avian 
influenza or were under surveillance for the disease.  The 
national and local governments culled a total of 5.68 
million chickens at 40 poultry farms that were confirmed to 
have been infected with AI.  The outbreaks started in June 
2005 and lasted several months, but the route of infection 
still remains unsolved.  The total cost of the culling was 
approximately Yen 5 billion (USD 43.5 million).  Additional 
monies were spent to compensate farmers for their losses, 
but details on the total amount spent are currently 
unavailable.  Even though authorities have completed the 
culling, Ibaraki's avian influenza taskforce will remain 
active to prepare for future outbreaks. 
 
-- MHLW to Golden Week Travelers: Gargle and Wash Hands -- 
 
¶8.  On April 25, MHLW issued guidance cautioning Golden 
Week holidaymakers to take extra precautions to avoid 
falling ill to infectious diseases such as avian influenza, 
dengue fever and rabies by avoiding unpurified water, raw 
food, and contact with insects or animals.  The Ministry 
requested travelers who feel ill after returning to Japan 
from a trip abroad to consult with quarantine officials and 
seek immediate treatment if their condition worsens.  MHLW 
advised that travelers stay away from areas with 
concentrated bird populations such as marketplaces and 
poultry farms, and advised individuals to wash their hands 
and gargle as appropriate. 
 
DONOVAN