VZCZCXRO8960
OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHML #2207/01 1461034
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 261034Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY MANILA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1169
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
INFO RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC 1264
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHDC
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA
RUEHC/DEPT OF INTERIOR WASHDC
RUEHC/DEPT OF INTERIOR WASHDC
RUEHZS/ASEAN COLLECTIVE
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 2654
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 5740
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 9325
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 4326
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 2288
RUEHPB/AMEMBASSY PORT MORESBY 0803
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 3322

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MANILA 002207 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR UNDER SECRETARY PDOBRIANSKY 
STATE FOR OES/IHA FOR JKAUFMANN, DSINGER AND RDALEY 
STATE FOR INR/EAP FOR JSTROTZ 
STATE PASS USDA/FAS/ICD FOR ROSENBLUM 
STATE PASS USDA/FAS/DL&P FOR MAGINNIS 
STATE PASS USDA/FAS/ITP/AA FOR ALEXANDER 
STATE PASS USDA/FAS/FAA FOR HAGER 
STATE PASS USDA/APHIS/IS FOR HOFFMAN 
STATE PASS USDA/APHIS/VS FOR DUVERNOY 
STATE PASS USDA/ARS/SEPRL FOR SUAREZ 
STATE PASS USAID FOR DCARROLL AND ACLEMENTS 
BANGKOK FOR REO JAMES WALLER 
CIA FOR NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE COUNCIL NIO/EA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TBIO SENV EAGR EAID PREL RP
SUBJECT: WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION REGIONAL OFFICE IN MANILA 
DISCUSSES RECENT INDONESIAN DEATHS 
 
REF: A) JAKARTA 6495   B) MANILA 1567   C) MANILA 860 
     D) STATE 023826   E) 05 STATE 209622 
 
MANILA 00002207  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1.  World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office in 
Manila outlined to Econoffs recent developments in North 
Sumatra, Indonesia involving a large cluster of avian 
influenza deaths.  WHO confirmed that a group of seven 
family members contracted the disease; six have died.  WHO 
was unable to determine the source of the outbreak and could 
not rule out human-to-human transmission.  Virus samples 
taken from the victims showed no signs of mutation, and WHO 
confirmed that the samples were H5N1 avian flu, according to 
the WHO Manila office.  End summary. 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
WHO OFFICIAL DISCUSSES INDONESIA'S AI CLUSTER 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  Dr. Peter Cordingley at the World Health Organization 
(WHO) Regional Office in Manila provided background to 
Econoffs on May 24 on the recent cluster of avian influenza 
(AI) deaths in Indonesia's Northern Sumatra region reported 
by Reuters and sourced to WHO Manila.  A "cluster" is 
defined as a group of infected people living close together 
and contracting the virus within a narrow timeframe. 
Cordingley said that the WHO has suspected human-to-human 
transmission in several instances in Thailand and Vietnam 
involving small clusters of two or three people.   The 
recent outbreak in Indonesia, with seven or eight persons 
infected, represents the largest known cluster of human 
avian influenza cases to date.  This individual may have 
been exposed to infected birds.  Cordingley said it is 
likely that seven of the victim's family members contracted 
AI from a human source as there is no evidence that this 
group encountered infected animals or contaminated 
droppings.  The suspected initial human source in this case 
was the first family member to die, and that person was 
buried prior to any suspicion of AI and without medical 
examination.  Cordingley said that WHO doctors working in 
Indonesia and Hong Kong confirmed that the Sumatra deaths 
are attributable to the H5N1 strain, with blood samples 
tested locally and in Hong Kong. 
 
----------------------- 
NO MUTATION IN AI VIRUS 
----------------------- 
 
¶3.  Cordingley said that recent news reports were not fully 
accurate and underplayed some "good news."  Virus samples 
from the Indonesian cluster showed no signs of mutating into 
a new virus strain that could easily transfer between 
humans.  Cordingley was careful to note that this H5N1 
transmission was not necessarily human-to-human.  He said 
that WHO was certain that this incident did not reflect the 
presence of a pandemic strain.  However, he could not rule 
out human-to-human transmission of H5N1.  He said that WHO 
Geneva remains intensely interested in understanding this 
cluster and has dispatched a team to Sumatra to investigate. 
 
 
MANILA 00002207  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
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CONTINUED COORDINATION 
---------------------- 
 
¶4.   A representative from Health and Human Services - 
Center for Disease Control will be coming to Manila May 28- 
31 2006 to meet with staff from WHO/Western Pacific Regional 
Office (WPRO) to discuss the renewal of the WPRO cooperative 
agreement and avian influenza activities in Southeast Asia. 
 
KENNEY