VZCZCXRO6244
RR RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB
DE RUEHHI #0073/01 0120301
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 120301Z JAN 07
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4317
INFO RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH 2372
RUEHZS/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE
RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 3052
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 5639
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 1089
RUEHGZ/AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU 0752
RUEHCN/AMCONSUL CHENGDU 0282
RUEHSUN/USUN ROME IT
RUEHIN/AIT TAIPEI 1432
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC//USDP/ISA/AP//
RHMFISS/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 03 HANOI 000073 
 
SIPDIS 
 
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: VIETNAM - AVIAN INFLUENZA UPDATE 
 
 
HANOI 00000073  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED 
 
REF: A) HO CHI MINH 10 B) 06 HCMC 1497 AND PREVIOUS 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary.  There have been no reported H5N1 human avian 
influenza (AI) cases in Vietnam this year and none reported in 2006. 
 According to the Government of Vietnam (GVN), Kien Giang province 
in the Mekong Delta has become the fourth province to experience to 
an AI poultry outbreak.  Two flocks of ducks in two separate 
districts of Kien Giang Province perished over the weekend, with all 
70 ducks reportedly tested positive for H5N1.  The GVN, with close 
support from international experts from FAO and WHO, are closely 
monitoring the situation and, while concerned that future outbreaks 
may occur, believe that they have a handle on the poultry outbreaks 
in the south.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (U) There have been no confirmed H5N1 AI human cases in Vietnam 
this year and none reported in 2006. 
 
Poultry Outbreaks Continue in Mekong Delta Provinces 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) According to Thanh Nhien News dated January 9, Kien Giang 
province in the Mekong Delta has become the fourth Vietnamese 
province to report an AI poultry outbreak.  According to local 
animal health officials, 70 ducks in two flocks from Go Quao and 
Vinh Thuan districts died on Saturday and Sunday.  Subsequently, all 
birds tested positive for H5N1.  Local authorities have slaughtered 
approximately 1,800 ducks and have quarantined and sterilized 
infected sites in the two districts. 
Since December 11, 2006, AI outbreaks have been officially reported 
in 41 communes in 17 districts of Ca Mau, Bac Lieu, Hau Giang and 
Kien Giang provinces and nearly 45,000 poultry have been culled. 
(NOTE: On January 11, a senior official in the Ministry of 
Agriculture and Rural Development's (MARD) Department of Animal 
Health confirmed to Health Attache that the poultry die-off in Can 
Tho Province, as reported -- reftel A, have tested negative for 
H5N1.  END NOTE) 
 
GVN Aware Of Virus Circulating Among Unvaccinated Poultry 
 --------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
¶4.  (U) At a meeting of the National Steering Committee on Avian Flu 
Control in Hanoi on January 10, Vice Minister of Agriculture and 
Rural Development Bui Ba Bong warned officials and the press that 
the spread of AI in poultry remains an imminent threat to all 
localities, especially in the Mekong delta but also in central and 
northern regions.  After the meeting, Vice Minister Bong stated to 
Vietnam News that the GVN is dispatching 11 inspection teams 
throughout the country to ensure prevention activities such as 
vaccinations and quarantines are conducted properly.  In addition, 
the Ministry of Health has reportedly established five mobile 
emergency task forces to support localities in the prevention and 
treatment of possible human infections. 
 
¶5. (U) State media have cited reports by the Animal Health Bureau 
Region Number 7 and the Center for Animal Health Diagnosis that 
samples from unvaccinated ducks in Dong Thap, Bac Lieu and Vinh Phuc 
Provinces in the south and Ninh Binh and Ha Nam Provinces in the 
north have also tested positive for H5N1 virus.  State media also 
reported that vaccination rates are as low as 50 percent in some 
Mekong Delta provinces and as low as 39 percent in central provinces 
such as Quang Ngai and Quang Nam.  Thanh Nhien news further reported 
poultry deaths in Dai Loc District of Quang Nam Province.  Samples 
were not collected from those birds since breeders had quickly 
 
HANOI 00000073  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
burned and buried the carcasses. 
 
Assessment of High Risk Threats 
------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) At a USG partners meeting held January 9 at USAID Hanoi 
office, Dr. Jeffrey Gilbert, Avian Influenza Senior Technical 
Coordinator of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 
expressed hope that Vietnam is "past the peak" of the recent flurry 
of outbreaks, which occurred primarily in illegally hatched duck 
flocks that were not vaccinated or monitored by local authorities. 
Regarding procedure, samples that have tested positive by the animal 
health regional laboratory in Can Tho are confirmed by the HCMC 
Pasteur Institute and then some material is sent via FAO 
coordination to a reference laboratory in Australia for sequencing. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Dr. Gilbert further noted that the GVN is concerned that 
other provinces, particularly the central provinces of Thanh Hoa, 
Quang Binh and Quang Nam pose a high risk for AI outbreaks in 
poultry.  While these areas remain outbreak-free, the heightened 
concern stems from earlier surveys that found significant levels of 
H5N1 genetic materials in poultry flocks in these areas.  For 
example, officials have cited that 73 percent of 30 unvaccinated 
poultry samples collected in Quang Nam Province in December 2006 
tested positive for H5N1 virus, which is alarming considering that 
in provinces such as Quang Nam, 60 percent or more of poultry flocks 
remain unvaccinated.  Another risk factor that concerns officials is 
the highly organized and profuse trafficking of live poultry across 
the border from China, which supplies not only border provinces but 
the large metropolitan cities. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Dr. Mark Simmerman, a CDC epidemiologist seconded to the 
World Health Organization office in Hanoi, provided a brief update 
on suspect human AI cases.  He noted that all four members of the 
family in the Mekong Delta, who tested negative by throat swab test, 
recovered quickly and did not require mechanical breathing support. 
Dr. Simmerman also noted that the media attention on AI may have 
contributed to the increased number of cases (20-30 cases per day) 
referred for testing in northern Vietnam, all of which have tested 
negative and have not garnered media attention. 
 
USG IEC Activities 
------------------ 
 
¶9. (SBU) On January 9, a monthly USG partners meeting was held at 
USAID Hanoi office that was attended by twenty persons, including 
personnel from the Embassy, implementing partners, FAO and WHO. 
After a brief update on AI outbreaks (see above), representatives of 
various USG-funded projects shared with the group their work on 
Information, Education and Communications (IEC) activities.  These 
include TV spots created by Academy for Educational Development 
(AED) that focus on village/community spirit and not disrupting 
village harmony through bad poultry practices.  CARE and Abt 
Associates have developed posters and booklets that target best 
practices for market and food stall workers.  Meanwhile, Agronomes & 
Veterinaires Sans Frontieres (AVSF) is developing two new training 
manuals, one on epidemiology and the other on diagnosis of AI in 
poultry, and Kenan Institute sub-grantees Catholic Relief Services 
(CRS) and Australian Foundation for the Peoples of Asia and the 
Pacific Limited (AFAP) will be developing public-private 
partnerships with Vietnamese companies in Thanh Hoa, Nghe An and Hoa 
Binh provinces of northern Vietnam to develop improved bio-security 
standards. 
 
¶10. (SBU) COMMENT: The GVN, with close support from international 
 
HANOI 00000073  003 OF 003 
 
 
experts from FAO and WHO, are closely monitoring the situation and, 
while concerned that future outbreaks may occur, believe that they 
have a handle on the poultry outbreaks in the south.  The central 
government appears to be doing everything within their power to 
contain the spread of poultry outbreaks that are occurring in 
unvaccinated poultry flocks, including reprimanding istrict-leve 
officials, supplying needed technical and finanial support to 
outbreak districts and preventingfuture outbreaks in poultry by 
ordering all minisries and provinces to maintain vigilance with 
reards to farm hygiene, strict enforcement of the ba on live 
poultry markets and early reporting of ie-off incidents.  Post has 
encouraged the WHO ad FAO to conduct a joint field assessment in 
the ekong Delta, which is currently underway after som 
deliberation of the GVN, and the HHS Health Attche has reached out 
to national and internationa health organizations with offers of 
technical spport if needed.  END COMMENT. 
 
MARINE