VZCZCXRO9952
RR RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB RUEHPOD
DE RUEHHI #0373/01 0591012
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 281012Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4746
INFO RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH 2646
RUEHZS/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE
RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 3069
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 5657
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 1115
RUEHGZ/AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU 0762
RUEHCN/AMCONSUL CHENGDU 0292
RUEHSUN/USUN ROME IT
RUEHIN/AIT TAIPEI 1449
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 02 HANOI 000373 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR AIAG, EAP/MLS, EAP/EP, INR, OES/IHA, MED 
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR ANE AND GH 
STATE PASS TO HHS/OGHA (WSTIEGER, DBELL AND ABHAT) 
STATE PASS TO CDC (NCOX AND AMOHEN) 
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 UPDATE - FIRST POULTRY OUTBREAK IN NORTH 
 
REF: HANOI 303 AND PREVIOUS 
 
HANOI 00000373  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (U) Summary:  The Government of Vietnam (GVN) announced the 
containment of an H5N1 outbreak in poultry in northern Hai Duong 
Province that occurred on February 16, the first day of the Tet 
Lunar New Year.  A smaller poultry die-off that occurred in early 
February in northern Ninh Binh Province was reportedly caused by 
Newcastle's Disease.  On February 27, Vice Minister of Agriculture 
and Development Bui Ba Bong signed a decision that, effective March 
1, lifts the ban on the raising of waterfowl and duck hatchlings. 
CDC hosted a roundtable discussion on February 6 highlighting the 
CDC's Automated Disaster and Emergency Planning Tool (ADEPT).  End 
Summary. 
 
¶2. (U) There have been no confirmed H5N1 AI human cases in Vietnam 
this year and none reported in 2006. 
 
First H5N1 Poultry Outbreak in Northern Vietnam 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶3. (U) AP News reported on February 26 that the GVN confirmed that 
an outbreak of H5N1 in poultry occurred in northern Vietnam's Hai 
Duong Province on February 16, the first day of the Tet Lunar New 
Year.  The outbreak, which has since been successfully contained, is 
the first reported poultry outbreak in northern Vietnam since late 
¶2005.  According to Hai Duong Department of Animal Health Director 
Dong Van Chuc, laboratory tests confirmed the presence of H5N1 in 
several of the approximately 70 unvaccinated chicks that died on one 
farm in the province's Thanh Mien District.  Local authorities have 
culled the farm's remaining 10,000 hatchlings and no other outbreaks 
have been reported in the province.  Chuc stated that the case is 
still under investigation. According to Mr. Chuc, the local farmer 
purchased the chicks from the province's neighboring Gia Loc 
District, which has not reported any outbreaks.  The last outbreak 
in Thanh Mien District was reported in 2004. 
 
Newcastle Affects Poultry in Separate Northern Province 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
¶4. (U) On February 2, local media reported the deaths of 100 
chickens in the Nho Quan District  of northern Vietnam's Ninh Binh 
Province.  According to District People's Committee Chairman Nguyen 
Quang Van, dead poultry specimens were collected from 40 households 
in the district.  Media reports later indicated that according to 
local animal health authorities and the FAO, the cause of death was 
Newcastle's Disease and not H5N1 virus. 
 
MARD Lifts Ban on Raising Waterfowl 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (U) On February 27, MARD Vice Minister Bui Ba Bong signed a 
decision that, effective on March 1, lifts the ban on the raising of 
waterfowl and duck hatchlings and provides a number of biosafety 
guidelines.  According to a source at MARD's Department of Animal 
Health, there are several conditions that must be satisfied for 
farmers to be allowed to raise waterfowl. These measures include 
mandatory registration with local authorities, vaccination of all 
poultry, and timely notification of the transport of live or 
slaughtered poultry. 
 
CDC Hosts Roundtable on Emergency Planning Tool 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶6. (U) On February 6, HHS/CDC hosted a roundtable discussion with 
 
HANOI 00000373  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
Vietnamese public health and natural disaster agencies, as well as 
WHO, FAO and the International Red Cross Federation, to discuss the 
CDC's Automated Disaster and Emergency Planning Tool (ADEPT).  ADEPT 
is an innovative, software-based process for writing, exercising and 
evaluating public health and medical emergency operation and 
disaster plans.  Emergency operation plans created by ADEPT give the 
field user an instrument that is integrated into a 
multi-organizational response, defines duties and job descriptions 
for key response staff and provides a platform for prioritized rapid 
decision making in the initial phase of an emergency operation.  The 
DCM opened the roundtable discussion by noting the high priority the 
USG places on adequate preparedness to respond to pandemic 
influenza, both at home and overseas; indicating how Vietnam has 
demonstrated to the global community strong leadership to address 
avian influenza; and stressing the need for continued development of 
preparedness and response plans, particularly in Vietnam. 
 
MARINE