VZCZCXRO8732
PP RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB
DE RUEHHI #1280/01 1460818
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 260818Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2101
INFO RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY PRIORITY 1184
RUEHZS/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL PRIORITY 2937
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 5515
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG PRIORITY 0920
RUEHGZ/AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU PRIORITY 0681
RUEHCN/AMCONSUL CHENGDU PRIORITY 0240
RUEHRO/USMISSION UN ROME PRIORITY
RUEHIN/AIT TAIPEI PRIORITY 1376
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 SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 001280 
 
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(DBISBEE) 
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, JMACARTHUR AND 
MBRADY) 
ROME FOR FAO 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TBIO KFLU AMED AMGT CASC EAGR PINR SOCI VM
SUBJECT: VIETNAM - MAY 26 AVIAN INFLUENZA REPORT 
 
 
HANOI 00001280  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - DO NOT POST ON INTERNET 
 
REF: A. HANOI 1194 AND PREVIOUS 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  UN Secretary General Kofi Annan met with 
members of Vietnam's National Steering Committee on Avian 
Influenza (AI), as well as bilateral and multilateral 
donors, on May 24 at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural 
Development (MARD).  The GVN gave an overview of the course 
AI in Vietnam and an update on GVN strategies to fight it. 
Donors praised the GVN's leadership on the issue and its 
success in containing AI, but cautioned that the threat is 
not over.  Annan lauded the GVN's leadership and agreed that 
governments cannot be complacent about the AI threat. At a 
meeting on May 23, National Institute of Hygiene and 
Epidiomology (NIHE) Director Nguyen Tran Hien informed the 
Health Attache that NIHE had received approval to proceed 
with clinical trials for its human H5N1 vaccine.   Agronomes 
et Vtrinaires Sans Frontiers posted the final report of a 
USAID-funded project designed to provide animal health 
stakeholders with accurate information on AI.  There were no 
new outbreaks of AI in humans or poultry.  The GVN continues 
the poultry vaccination program.  End summary. 
 
Kofi Annan Meets with National Steering Committee on AI and 
Donors 
--------------------------------------------- ------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) UN Secretary General Kofi Annan met with members of 
Vietnam's National Steering Committee on AI and bilateral 
and multilateral donors on May 24 at the Ministry of 
Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).  MARD Minister Cao 
Duc Phat provided an overview of the course of the epidemic 
c 
in Vietnam, which began in late 2003.  MARD Vice Minister 
Bui Ba Bong provided details on the GVN's efforts to control 
the epidemic among poultry, cooperation with UN agencies and 
donors and plans to move from emergency response to a long- 
term plan.  Ministry of Health (MOH) Vice Minister Le Ngoc 
Trong gave an overview of GVN preparations on the human 
health side, including plans to develop and produce a human 
H5N1 vaccine.  (Note: This information has been previously 
shared with donors and reported by Post.  End Note.) 
 
¶3. (SBU) In their comments, donors credited the GVN's strong 
initiative, leadership, and both inter-departmental 
cooperation and coordination with donors for the success in 
controlling the spread of AI to date.  Lessons learned for 
other countries include: quick implementation of a response 
plan; coordinated leadership and partnership with the donor 
community; and, compensation to farmers that lost at least 
part of their livelihood as a result of culling.  Donors 
cautioned, however, that the virus could re-emerge, and 
stressed the need to continue with structural improvements 
both in surveillance capacity and commercializing the 
poultry sector.  WHO Representative Hans Troedsson stated 
that it is too early to conclude this is a success story; 
Vietnam must continue with its strategic approach to 
fighting the H5N1 virus, as this will enable Vietnam to 
fight similar diseases should they emerge, he said. 
 
HANOI 00001280  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
 
¶4. (SBU) Annan applauded GVN efforts and leadership, and 
thanked both GVN speakers and the donors for the "reality 
check" they provided.  The international community cannot be 
complacent on AI, as the threat of an epidemic remains. 
Annan said it is clear that international cooperation is 
critical if pandemics are to be prevented from developing. 
At the last World Summit, countries accepted a broader 
definition of what constitutes a threat to security, 
including infectious diseases, poverty, environmental 
degradation, WMD, terrorism, and internationally organized 
crime.  Annan added that SARS had raised awareness among 
governments to the threat of infectious diseases, and that 
in addition to governments, the private sector, civil 
society, and community groups needed to prepare to fight 
them. 
 
Other 
----- 
 
¶5. (U) Agronomes et Vtrinaires Sans Frontiers posted the 
final report of a project designed to provide animal health 
stakeholders with accurate information on AI that was 
supported by USAID through AED.  The report is entitled 
"Training of Field Public & Private Veterinarians and 
Veterinary Paraprofessionals on Avian Influenza and 
Dissemination of the Manual `Prevention and Control of Avian 
Influenza in Small scale Poultry' in Vietnam," and is 
available at www.livestockworkinggroup.org. 
 
¶6. (SBU) At a meeting on May 23, National Institute of 
Hygiene and Epidiomology (NIHE) Director Nguyen Tran Hien 
informed the Health Attache that NIHE had received approval 
l 
to proceed with clinical trials for its human H5N1 vaccine. 
This vaccine is based on a virus seed strain from Vietnam 
grown on primary monkey kidney cells.  The Director said 
that NIHE is collaborating with the National Institutes of 
Health (NIH) on developing a protocol for clinical trials, 
which should start in July or August, 2006.  NIHE plans to 
conduct preliminary tests on 30 volunteers before entering 
the second phase of testing on 300 people.  The trials 
should be completed in August 2007.  Vietnamese media 
reported on the development.  The vaccine has been in a 
development stage for over 18 months.  NIHE is one of three 
organizations at MOH working to develop an H5N1 vaccine. 
 
¶7. (U) As of May 24, 2006: 
 
-- No human AI deaths since October 29, 2005 
-- No human AI cases since November 14, 2005 (Note: This GVN 
official date is five days later than date previously 
reported in reftel. End note.) 
-- No AI outbreaks in poultry since the last reported 
incident on December 17, 2005 in Cao Bang Province 
 
The poultry vaccination program continues. 
 
BOARDMAN