VZCZCXRO8431
RR RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB RUEHPOD
DE RUEHHI #1444/01 2251406
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 131406Z AUG 07
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6082
INFO RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH 3521
RUEHZS/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE
RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 3190
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 5754
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 1247
RUEHGZ/AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU 0823
RUEHCN/AMCONSUL CHENGDU 0320
RUEHIN/AIT TAIPEI 1525
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHINGTON DC
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS 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//
RUEHSUN/USUN ROME IT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 001444 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS, EAP/EP, AIAG, OES/IHA, MED 
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR ANE AND GH 
STATE PASS TO HHS/OGHA (STIEGER/VALDEZ/BELL/HICKEY) 
CDC FOR OGHA (BLOUT/MCCALL) AND DIV-FLU (COX/MOHEN) 
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FOR OSD/ISA/AP (STERN) 
HHS PASS TO FIC/NIH (GLASS) 
USDA PASS TO APHIS, FAS (OSTA AND OCRA), FSIS 
BANGKOK FOR RMO, CDC (MALISON), USAID (MACARTHUR/BRADY) 
BEIJING FOR HHS HEALTH ATTACHE (ROSS) 
PHNOM PENH FOR CDC INFLUENZA COORDINATOR(BRADY) 
VIENTIANE FOR CDC INFLUENZA COORDINATOR (CORWIN) 
ROME FOR FAO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TBIO AMED AMGT CASC EAGR PINR KFLU VM
SUBJECT: AVIAN INFLUENZA UPDATE - NEW HUMAN FATALITY 
 
REF: A) HANOI 1265; B) HANOI 1365 
 
HANOI 00001444  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (U) Summary: On August 7, the Government of Vietnam (GVN) 
reported the death of a 15 year-old boy from Thanh Hoa province 
infected with the H5N1 strain of highly pathologic avian influenza. 
The case appears isolated and not related to larger poultry 
outbreaks or human clusters.  Outbreaks of AI in poultry have 
substantially dropped off, as previously reported (ref A).  End 
Summary. 
 
Report of Isolated Human Death 
------------------------------ 
 
¶2. (U) On August 7, the Ministry of Health (MOH) reported the death 
from AI of a 15 year-old boy from Thanh Hoa province, approximately 
85 miles south of Hanoi.  The victim reportedly became ill on July 
27, after exposure to a batch of hatchling ducks his family had 
purchased from a neighboring commune.  The ducks became ill and died 
soon after purchase.  The boy entered a local hospital on August 2, 
which placed him on mechanical ventilation.  He died en route to 
Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi on August 3.  RT-PCR testing at a 
national laboratory confirmed H5N1 infection.  Vietnamese officials 
report no evidence of poultry outbreaks in the area surrounding his 
home or elsewhere in the province.  The MOH placed close contacts of 
the patient on Tamiflu.  This case marks the seventh reported human 
case and the fourth death reported since May 2007.  On July 28, a 
pregnant 22-year old woman from Ha Tay province, proximal to Hanoi, 
succumbed to AI (ref B). 
 
Animal Outbreaks Remain Low 
---------------------------------- 
¶3. (U) Avian influenza outbreak activity in poultry dropped markedly 
in July and has remained low since.  The week of June 29 was the 
peak of activity in the fifth outbreak wave that began May 1 with 29 
outbreaks recorded.  To date, 3 provinces remain under observation, 
having had outbreaks in the past 21 days: Pien Bien (10 
wards/communes), Dong Thap (4 communes) and Quang Binh (1 commune). 
An August 8, 2007 report of dead poultry in Dien Bien led to the 
Sub-District of Animal Health culling one household's ducks and 
chickens; however it is unknown if authorities took samples to 
diagnose H5N1 and if so, the results of those samples.  The first AI 
vaccination campaign of 2007 continues with a total of 160.5 million 
birds vaccinated thus far, including 86.62M chickens, 70.08M ducks 
and 3.83M muscovy ducks. Large livestock companies additionally 
administered over 32.55 million doses of TROVAC vaccine. 
 
Human and Animal Sample Sharing 
------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) During a farewell call on outgoing Minister of Health 
Chien, the Ambassador noted the need for timely submission of 
clinical specimens from suspected cases to the World Health 
Organization (WHO) for independent reference laboratory 
confirmation.  (Note: As reported in ref. B, the GVN has provided 
specimens from only two of the first six human cases reported since 
May 2007 to WHO for confirmatory testing, despite repeated 
requests.) Minister Chien agreed on the importance of rapid sample 
sharing. 
 
 
HANOI 00001444  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶5. (U) On the animal health side, the GVN continues to promptly 
provide samples.  Since 2004, the National Center of Veterinary 
Diagnosis (NCVD), Department of Animal Health, Ministry of 
Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has consistently sent the 
isolates of avian influenza to the CDC Influenza Division in 
Atlanta.  In March and July of this year, NCVD sent HPAI isolates to 
CDC, and has also dispatched samples to the Australian Animal Health 
Laboratory.  The Regional Animal Health Center in Ho Chi Minh City 
also reported sending poultry samples from southern Vietnam directly 
to the Australian Animal Health Laboratory though the NCVD has yet 
to confirm this. 
 
No Confirmation of Vietnamese Mediation with Indonesia 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
¶6.  (U) Earlier this month, The Chinese Xinhua news service 
published a report that Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dzung 
was traveling to Indonesia to "mediate Indonesia's dispute with the 
WHO over the provision of samples."  Local press reports instead 
have highlighted Vietnamese-Indonesian discussions of trade and the 
fight against corruption, lumping health care and epidemics into a 
laundry list of other issues covered.  However, MOH Vice-Minister 
Cao Minh Quang, whose portfolio covers pharmaceuticals, accompanied 
the Prime Minister on the trip raising the possibility that the two 
nations discussed this issue.  We will seek more information. 
 
 
MARINE