VZCZCXRO9928
PP RUEHDT RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB
DE RUEHHM #1413/01 3541252
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 201252Z DEC 06
FM AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1892
INFO RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY 1995
RUEHHI/AMEMBASSY HANOI PRIORITY 1331
RUCNARF/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE
RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL PRIORITY 0014
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 0016
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG PRIORITY 0118
RUEHGZ/AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU PRIORITY 0022
RUEHCN/AMCONSUL CHENGDU PRIORITY 0014
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME
RUEHIN/AIT TAIPEI PRIORITY 0029
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA PRIORITY
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC//USDP/ISA/AP//
RUEKJCS/CJCS WASHINGTON DC//J2/J3/J5//
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC//DHO-3//
RHMFIUU/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI//J00/J2/J3/J5//
RHEFAFM/DIRAFMIC FT DETRICK MD//MA-1A//

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HO CHI MINH CITY 001413 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS, EAP/EP, INR, OES/STC, OES/IHA, MED 
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR ANE AND GH 
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 (JMACARTHUR AND MBRADY) 
ROME FOR FAO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TBIO KFLU AMED AMGT CASC EAGR PINR SOCI VM
SUBJECT: AVIAN INFLUENZA: POULTRY OUTBREAKS REPORTED IN SOUTHERN 
VIETNAM 
 
REF: A. HCMC 0810 
     ¶B. HANOI 2803 
     ¶C. AND PREVIOUS 
 
HO CHI MIN 00001413  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary:  Animal health authorities in southern 
Vietnam?s Mekong Delta have confirmed that H5N1 Avian 
Influenza (AI) has killed over 6,000 birds in several 
flocks in the provinces of Ca Mau and Bac Lieu. The birds, 
mostly ducklings, were illegally hatched and not vaccinated 
against AI. To date this year, there had been no prior 
confirmed AI outbreaks in poultry and no reported human AI 
cases in Vietnam.  While the Government of Vietnam (GVN) 
takes the outbreak seriously and is working quickly to 
quarantine the area, initial improper disposal of diseased 
bird carcasses and cooler temperatures increase the 
possibility of further poultry outbreaks in the region. 
End Summary. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) The Department of Animal Health (DAH) for the 
Mekong region confirmed to ConGen that on 6 December 490 
chickens and 2,033 ducks died with clinical signs 
suggesting infection with avian influenza in the Tran Van 
Tho District of Ca Mau Province. The following day, an 
additional 3,550 ducks in five flocks were found dead in 
the Hoa Binh district of neighboring Bac Lieu Province. 
(Note: The two districts are nearly 60 kilometers apart. 
End Note.)  Laboratory tests later confirmed the presence 
of the H5N1 strain of the virus.  Pham Chung, Deputy 
Director of the Ho Chi Minh City DAH Representative Office, 
confirmed to EconOff that the AI specimens obtained from 
Bac Lieu and Ca Mau are highly pathological.  Chung also 
reported that the GVN has officially declared AI outbreaks 
in the two infected districts. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Animal health authorities reported that all of the 
infected poultry were one-month old hatchlings that had not 
been vaccinated against AI (Ref A).  Hoang Van Nam, 
Director of the Department of Animal Health?s Epidemic 
Unit, added that farm owners were reluctant to report the 
deaths because the poultry had been illegally hatched. 
Instead of contacting authorities to properly dispose of 
the dead birds, farmers dumped several thousand carcasses 
into canals and rivers over a five-day period, potentially 
spreading the disease to nearby districts and provinces. 
Nam added that cooler temperatures also facilitate the 
survival of the virus, heightening the continued risk to 
poultry flocks in the Mekong Delta. 
 
¶4. (U) Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) 
Cao Duc Phat ordered provincial authorities to quickly 
quarantine and sterilize the area, cull all live poultry in 
close proximity to the infected flocks, and continue to 
investigate the cause of the outbreaks.  Phat stated 
publicly during a December 19 meeting in Hanoi of the 
National Steering Committee on Bird Flu Control that 
provincial authorities would be held directly responsible 
for additional outbreaks. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Dr. Phan Van Tu, Deputy Chief of Microbiology and 
Immunology at HCMC?s Pasteur Institute, confirmed to 
EconOff that no suspected human cases have been detected in 
Ca Mau or Bac Lieu.  The Ministry of Health (MOH) has 
requested that the Institute provide the two provinces with 
health experts to assess general preparedness in the event 
 
HO CHI MIN 00001413  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
that cases of AI in humans are detected.  Pasteur Institute 
assistance teams will arrive in Ca Mau and Bac Lieu on 25 
December to begin their assessment. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Comment:  While nearly 140 million poultry have 
been vaccinated against AI this year, illegal hatching and 
smuggling of poultry remains a serious impediment to the 
GVN?s bird flu control measures.  Additionally, it appears 
there are still significant holes in the GVN?s disease 
detection system.  MARD Minister Phat was 
uncharacteristically blunt in his chastising of provincial 
authorities for allowing an outbreak of this magnitude to 
go unreported for so long.  Despite MARD and MOH 
commitments to rapidly contain the virus, cooler flu season 
temperatures and the fact that several thousand diseased 
carcasses may have been spread outside quarantined areas 
suggest that further outbreaks of AI in poultry in the area 
are possible.  End Comment. 
CHERN