VZCZCXRO6420
RR RUEHCN RUEHGH
DE RUEHBJ #7567 3540832
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 200832Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4130
INFO RUEHCN/AMCONSUL CHENGDU 8884
RUEHGZ/AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU 3727
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 9906
RUEHGH/AMCONSUL SHANGHAI 8764
RUEHSH/AMCONSUL SHENYANG 8536
RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 5744
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHDC
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC
RUEHC/DEPT OF INTERIOR WASHDC 0706
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA

UNCLAS BEIJING 007567 
 
SIPDIS 
 
BANGKOK FOR REO, CDC, AND USAID 
HHS FOR OGHA - STEIGER, HICKEY 
DINT FOR USGS RKENNY 
CDC ATLANTA FOR CCID AND COGH 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TBIO KFLU EAGR CASC CH
SUBJECT: Avian Influenza Cases in Jiangsu - Latest Update 
 
Ref: A) Beijing 07401, B) Guangzhou 1279 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: Following the death of a twenty-four year old male 
from Avian Influenza (AI) in Jiangsu Province on December 2, the 
young man's 52 year old father developed symptoms and was confirmed 
positive for Influenza A H5N1 virus on December 6.  The father had 
extensive close contact with his son while he was ill in the 
hospital, and all available evidence suggests that he was infected 
by his son. The 52-year-old man has reportedly since recovered, and 
none of the other people under medical observation have developed 
symptoms.  Health Minister Chen Zhu reportedly supervised the 
treatment of the father personally.  U.S. CDC Health experts based 
in Beijing believe that the second case of infection was likely a 
case of limited human-to-human transmission, but there is still no 
evidence that the virus can be efficiently transmitted from one 
human to another.  End Summary. 
 
Background 
--------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) As reported in Ref A, on November 24, 2007 a 24-year-old 
male resident of Nanjing developed fever, chills and other symptoms. 
 He was hospitalized on November 27 with pneumonia and was 
reportedly interviewed by the local public health authorities for 
the first time on that day.  His conditioned worsened and he died on 
December 2. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Also on December 2, a clinical sample taken from the man a 
few days earlier was confirmed positive for Influenza A H5N1. The 
local, provincial and national health authorities instituted an 
investigation and control measures were taken.  Sixty-nine people 
were identified as having had close contact with the man while he 
was ill and were subsequently placed under strict medical 
observation. 
 
¶4. (SBU) On December 3, one of the people under medical observation 
- the young man's 52-year-old father - developed fever and 
respiratory symptoms and was placed in isolation in hospital.  A 
clinical specimen from the father was confirmed positive for 
Influenza A H5N1 virus on December 6.  During the December 2008 
Strategic Economic Dialogue, Health Minister Chen Zhu told 
Ambassador Randt that when he heard about the father's case he was 
in Xi'an but he immediately traveled to Nanjing, Jiangsu to 
personally supervise the father's care. 
 
¶5. (SBU) The 52-year-old man has reportedly recovered.  None of the 
other people under medical observation have developed signs or 
symptoms consistent with acute influenza infection and medical 
observation of them has been discontinued.  No other suspect cases 
have been identified and the lead national level investigator has 
returned to Beijing. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Further laboratory analyses of the two viruses demonstrated 
that the viruses are identical and are similar to Influenza A H5N1 
viruses isolated in southern China in 2005 and 2006. The sequences 
of the two viruses have been entered into the public database for 
influenza sequences.  In addition, the China National Virology 
Institute has agreed to send the actual virus samples to the US CDC 
influenza laboratory in its role as WHO Global Influenza Laboratory. 
 
 
¶7. (SBU) As of now, no source of exposure has been identified for 
the first case, the 24-year-old man. The Ministry of Agriculture 
reportedly conducted a separate investigation but no bird die-off or 
unusual numbers of ill poultry were identified. 
 
¶8. (SBU) The second case, the 24-year-old man's father, had 
extensive close contact with his son while he was ill in the 
hospital.  While it cannot be proved, all the available details 
indicate that the infection passed from the son to the father. 
According to U.S. Center for Disease Control experts based in 
Beijing, this probable case of limited human-to-human transmission 
does not constitute an emergency.  They believe that there is, as 
yet, no evidence that the virus can be efficiently transmitted from 
one human to another, resulting in sustained transmission. 
 
RANDT