VZCZCXRO5268
PP RUEHDT RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB
DE RUEHHM #1497/01 3620952
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 280952Z DEC 06
FM AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1929
INFO RUEHHI/AMEMBASSY HANOI PRIORITY 1413
RUCNARF/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE
RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL PRIORITY 0016
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 0020
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG PRIORITY 0123
RUEHGZ/AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU PRIORITY 0025
RUEHCN/AMCONSUL CHENGDU PRIORITY 0016
RUEHRN/USMISSION UN ROME PRIORITY 0004
RUEHIN/AIT TAIPEI PRIORITY 0032
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHPH/CDC CDC ATLANTA GA PRIORITY
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/CJCS WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RHEFAFM/DIRAFMIC FT DETRICK MD
RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY 2088

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HO CHI MINH CITY 001497 
 
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 AMGT CASC EAGR PINR SOCI VM
SUBJECT: AVIAN INFLUENZA: ADDITIONAL POULTRY FLOCKS INFECTED IN 
SOUTHERN VIETNAM 
 
REF: A) HCMC 1413 B) HANOI 2803 AND PREVIOUS 
 
HO CHI MIN 00001497  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary:  Animal Health Authorities have confirmed 
that Avian Influenza (AI) has been detected in additional 
poultry flocks in southern Vietnam's Ca Mau province.  This 
comes only days after 6,000 birds, mostly ducks, died from AI in 
Ca Mau and neighboring Bac Lieu Province (Ref A).  GVN 
officials, including Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, are 
unanimous in their commitment to try and limit the scope of this 
outbreak.  Authorities in HCMC have also stepped up their 
surveillance of poultry entering the city, even going so far as 
to request the stockpiling of medicine to treat any human AI 
cases resulting from this outbreak.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  (U) The Bird Flu Steering Committee of Ca Mau Province 
reported to HCMC media that AI outbreaks have been reported in 
two more of the province's communes.  The virus, originally 
detected only in Tran Van Tho District, has reportedly spread to 
two additional poultry flocks in neighboring Ca Mau City and U 
Minh Districts.  By the evening of December 27, animal health 
authorities had sent 14 samples for testing, 12 of which had 
tested positive for AI.  The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural 
Development (MARD) reports that in total, AI has been detected 
in six communes of four districts in Ca Mau and Bac Lieu 
provinces.  Nine thousand birds have either died from the virus 
or have been culled as a precautionary measure.  To date, no 
further outbreaks of AI have been reported in Bac Lieu province. 
 
¶3. (U) Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has ordered authorities in 
all provinces to strengthen surveillance of poultry farms in 
order to ensure early detection of future outbreaks.  The Prime 
Minister ordered the immediate vaccination of poultry in 
high-risk areas and urged increased monitoring of the sale, 
slaughter, and transportation of poultry.  Deputy Prime Minister 
Nguyen Sinh Hung and Minister of Agriculture and Rural 
Development Cao Duc Phat, in separate visits to Ca Mau and Bac 
Lieu provinces, were critical of provincial leadership for 
allowing the outbreak to go unreported for so long.  Minister 
Phat, echoing the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, 
ordered the culling of all poultry in close proximity to the 
infected communes, the disinfection of the surrounding area, and 
the tightening of rules surrounding the transportation of 
poultry products. 
 
¶4. (U) HCMC Director of Animal Health Huynh Huu Loi reported to 
local media that authorities at quarantine checkpoints outside 
HCMC have been ordered to strengthen surveillance of poultry 
entering the city.  In addition, the HCMC People's Committee has 
instructed district governments to implement anti-bird flu 
measures, including increased inspections of breeding farms and 
markets.  Animal health authorities will focus on surveillance 
of live poultry sellers in District 8, Go Vap and Tan Binh 
Districts, and the area around Tham Luong Bridge. The HCMC 
People's Committee warned that district authorities would be 
held responsible for the sale of illegally hatched and traded 
birds in their districts. (Note: The infected birds in Ca Mau 
and Bac Lieu were hatched illegally in violation of a GVN decree 
against hatching ducklings. End Note.)  The HCMC Department of 
Health has also been ordered to prepare drug stockpiles in case 
of AI infection among humans. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Comment: it is not surprising that additional outbreaks 
have been reported in Ca Mau province, due to the fact that 
carcasses from the initial outbreak were dumped into rivers and 
 
HO CHI MIN 00001497  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
irrigation canals in an attempt by farmers to hide the deaths of 
the illegally hatched poultry.  While the GVN continues to hold 
provincial leaders directly responsible for unreported 
outbreaks, HCMC leaders have gone one step further, transferring 
responsibility directly to district authorities.  This approach 
was first implemented in HCMC last year and was probably key to 
the success of the city and, subsequently, the entire Mekong 
Delta in stopping last year's outbreaks. End Comment. 
WINNICK