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Reference ID	Created	Released	Classification	Origin
06HONGKONG2469	2006-06-14 09:21	2011-08-30 01:44	UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY	Consulate Hong Kong

VZCZCXRO8330
RR RUEHCN RUEHGH
DE RUEHHK #2469 1650921
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 140921Z JUN 06
FM AMCONSUL HONG KONG
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7270
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHDC
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA

UNCLAS HONG KONG 002469 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/ANP AND INR/EAP 
STATE FOR EAP/EX, EAP/EP TWANG, EAP/CM KBENNETT, GWARD 
STATE FOR G/AIAG JLANGE, HFOSTER, RFENDRICK 
STATE FOR M/MED ADN M/MEDEX PETER WOOD 
HHS FOR OGHA -- STEIGER, ELVANDER, BHAT 
BANGKOK FOR RMO, CDC 
USDA FOR DU/US LAMBERT 
BEIJING FOR DSELIGSOHN, CSHAPIRO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AMED ECON KSTH TBIO KFLU EAGR HK CH
SUBJECT:  HONG KONG GOVERNMENT ON SHENZHEN AI CASE 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED.  PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY. 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection 
(CHP) Senior Medical and Health Officer Dr. Edwin Tsui told 
Econoff on June 14 that a truck driver traveling through 
Shenzhen had tested positive for H5N1 avian influenza (AI). 
Tsui said that hospital authorities had yet to determine if 
 
SIPDIS 
the patient had recent, significant contact with poultry. 
The CHP has sent an expert team to Shenzhen to investigate. 
Deputy Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food Eddy Chan said 
that the Hong Kong Government would "probably" stop the 
import of live poultry from Guangdong Province once it 
receives official confirmation of the H5N1 case from the 
mainland Ministry of Health.  End Summary. 
 
Shenzhen AI Case 
------------------ 
 
¶2. (SBU) CHP Senior Medical and Health Officer Dr. Edwin 
Tsui told Econoff on June 14 that polymerase-chain-reaction 
 
SIPDIS 
(PCR) tests had confirmed the presence of H5N1 in a truck 
driver who was hospitalized on June 3 when he was traveling 
through Shenzhen.  So far, Shenzhen medical authorities have 
been unable to communicate with the patient to come up with 
a definite contact history.  All of the epidemiological 
evidence gathered on the case to this point has originated 
from the patient's wife.  According to her, the patient's 
only definite contact with poultry was when he shared a 
chicken dish at a family meal that was prepared from a live 
chicken that she had bought at a wet market two weeks before 
his hospitalization.  Tsui said that a preliminary look at 
the patient's work profile does not indicate any regular 
contact with live poultry.  Deputy Secretary for Health, 
Welfare and Food Eddy Chan later indicated, however, that 
the patient was evidently a frequent visitor to wet markets 
to meet his daily shopping needs. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Tsui said that the HKG was sending a team of 
epidemiological experts, including himself, to Shenzhen to 
directly investigate the situation there.  The CHP has 
activated its enhanced pneumonia surveillance system, under 
which all Hong Kong hospitals must report any cases of 
pneumonia-like illnesses involving patients with recent 
travel outside of Hong Kong.  The case information is then 
sent through the CHP's web-based "E-Flu" system, which also 
provides the CHP with a quick and efficient way to 
categorize and analyze the disease data received. 
 
Probable Ban on Live Poultry from Guangdong 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Eddie Chan said that as soon as the patient is 
officially confirmed as an H5N1 case by the mainland 
Ministry of Health, the HKG would "probably" ban imports of 
live poultry from Guangdong Province.  Chan said that the 
patient's supposed frequent visits to wet markets constitute 
prima facie evidence that there is a poultry link for this 
case, thus forcing the HKG to "play it safe" with live 
poultry imports. Chan continued that Shenzhen health 
authorities are investigating wet markets and also keeping a 
close watch on other truck drivers, even though the patient 
is not a resident of Shenzhen. 
 
¶5.  This cable has been cleared by U.S. Consulate General 
Guangzhou. 
 
CUNNINGHAM

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Viewing cable 06HONGKONG2469, HONG KONG GOVERNMENT ON SHENZHEN AI CASE