VZCZCXRO2687
RR RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB
DE RUEHGZ #7685/01 1700133
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 150837Z JUN 06 ZDK CTG NUM SVCS
FM AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1023
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/DIA WASHDC
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHINGTON DC
RUEAHLC/HOMELAND SECURITY CENTER WASHINGTON DC
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHDC
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA
RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
RUEHIN/AIT TAIPEI 9373

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 GUANGZHOU 017685 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/CM 
STATE PLEASE PASS NIH 
USDOC FOR 4420/ITA/MAC/MCQUEEN, CELICO, DAS LEVINE 
STATE PASS USTR 
USPACOM FOR FPA 
HHS FOR STEIGER, BHAT AND ELVANDER, OGHA 
 
REF:  A) Beijing 11163; B) Guangzhou 9084; C) Guangzhou 6174 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KFLU TBIO EAGR PGOV CH
SUBJECT:  AI Update: Guangdong 2nd Possible Human AI Case 
 
 
GUANGZHOU 00017685  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
(U) THIS DOCUMENT IS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED.  PLEASE 
PROTECT ACCORDINGLY.  NOT FOR RELEASE OUTSIDE U.S. 
GOVERNMENT CHANNELS.  NOT FOR INTERNET PUBLICATION. 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  On June 14, the Guangdong Provincial 
Health Department confirmed Guangdong has a second suspected 
avian influenza (AI) case, in Shenzhen, near the Hong Kong 
border.  On June 15, the Guangdong Province Foreign Affairs 
Office sent a diplomatic note to the Consulate also 
detailing the case.  The case has been sent to the Ministry 
of Health, which still must make the final confirmation 
whether the case is AI.  It is not clear how the victim 
contracted AI, since he had not been in direct contact with 
wild birds.  This second mysterious human AI case seems to 
indicate there are some unreported AI cases among Guangdong 
Province's one billion chickens.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (U) On June 14, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) 
reported that the Guangdong Health Department declared a 
second suspected human avian influenza case had occurred in 
Guangdong Province.  That same day, the Guangdong Provincial 
Health Department confirmed its announcement to the 
Consulate.  Later on June 14, the Guangdong Province Foreign 
Affairs office sent a diplomatic note essentially confirming 
what the Consulate had learned already learned. The 
diplomatic note said the individual began showing symptoms 
on June 3, including waist pain, fever, cold aversion and 
coughing.  On June 9 he sought treatment at the Shenzhen 
People's Hospital.  The Provincial Public Health Department 
has reported to the Ministry of Health for confirmation 
diagnosis.  The last human AI case in Guangdong Province was 
a Guangzhou city man who fell ill on February 22 and died on 
March 2 (see ref C). 
Biographical Background of the Case 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (U) According to the Guangdong Health Department, the 
patient, named Jiang O, 31, is a truck driver working in 
Longgang District of Shenzhen (currently no information on 
his original residence).  Investigations show that Jiang did 
not have direct contact with any direct contact with live 
poultry before falling ill.  According to Hong Kong 
authorities quoted in the SCMP, Jiang had bought vegetables 
several times at a wet market, which also sells chickens. 
The only possible contact Jiang had with poultry occurred 
two weeks before the onset of his illness when he and his 
family ate a freshly slaughtered chicken Jiang's wife had 
bought at a local market and cooked at home.  The rest of 
Jiang's family did not show similar symptoms, but they have 
been put under medical observation. 
 
Government reactions 
-------------------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) The Guangdong Health Department said that tests 
from both the Guangdong CDC and the Shenzhen CDC both showed 
positive results of A/H5N1 virus.  Guangdong Health 
Department's specialists diagnosed the case and made an 
initial judgment of an AI infection.  Later, as part of its 
action policy, the department sent Jiang's case to the 
Ministry of Health for confirmation diagnosis.  The Party 
Committees and Governments of Guangdong and Shenzhen quickly 
responded to the infection.  Following Vice Governor Lei 
Yulan's instruction, Shenzhen initiated their emergency 
reaction plan to conduct close medical monitoring and 
treatment of the patient and disinfect the possibly 
contaminated areas.  According to the diplomatic note, 
health departments have implemented control and prevention 
measures according to the emergency plan and are trying 
their best to treat the patient. 
 
Comment:  Hidden AI Cases in Guangdong? 
------------------------------------------- 
 
GUANGZHOU 00017685  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
¶5.  (SBU) If Jiang is confirmed to have AI, he would be the 
19th AI case in China.  All but one of these cases has 
occurred without an associated confirmed outbreak of AI 
among nearby poultry.  This trend supports the conclusions 
of Beijing 11163 (see ref A).  China's surveillance on human 
AI cases seems to be far more advanced than its surveillance 
on poultry AI cases.  It seems odd that human AI cases are 
occurring throughout China, with no apparent connection to 
bird outbreaks.  The most likely explanation is that many 
more birds are infected than is reported by veterinary 
officials.  The problem is that local farmers are concerned 
about the economic instability from culling large number of 
birds and thus are not as aggressive as they could be about 
reporting AI outbreaks.  The Food and Agricultural 
Organization (FAO) has also highlighted this as a concern. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Guangdong Province has one billion chickens, yet 
the province has not reported an AI poultry outbreak in 
years.  Now with possibly two human AI cases in the last few 
months, there are likely AI cases among Guangdong birds that 
simply have not been reported because of fear of economic 
loss. 
 
¶7.  Embassy Beijing and Consulate Hong Kong have cleared on 
this cable. 
 
DONG