VZCZCXRO7756
PP RUEHDE RUEHDIR
DE RUEHDO #0677/01 2651406
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 211406Z SEP 08
FM AMEMBASSY DOHA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8240
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DOHA 000677 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
M/PRI FOR ROBIN MORRITZ 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: CASC AMED KFLU TBIO QA
SUBJECT: AVIAN INFLUENZA UPDATE: GOQ PLANNING 
 
REF: 2007 DOHA 1134 
 
---------------- 
(SBU) KEY POINTS 
---------------- 
 
-- Qatar is preparing for a pandemic influenza by stockpiling 
medical supplies and holding a series of inter-agency drills 
and committee meetings intended to harmonize GOQ efforts and 
identify shortcomings. 
 
-- Labor camps present the greatest danger for disease 
transmission due to crowding and poor sanitary conditions. 
 
-- Qatar has thus far not suffered any animal or human cases 
of H5N1, and has cut off the supply of poultry products from 
countries with active cases (reftel). 
 
-------------- 
(SBU) COMMENTS 
-------------- 
 
-- An actual outbreak would likely be accompanied by 
overwhelmed medical staff.  Although billions of dollars in 
new investment is planned, the country's medical system is 
currently running near capacity with an ongoing shortage of 
medical professionals. 
 
-- The heavy dependence of the GOQ on third-country labor 
would likely present serious operational hindrances to its 
response as an outbreak affects those communities. 
 
-- The Embassy Pandemic Influenza Working Group continues to 
hold regular meetings, and the visiting RMO this month held a 
series of information seminars for mission personnel on 
pandemic influenza and how to stay prepared and healthy. 
 
END KEY POINTS AND COMMENTS. 
 
¶1. (SBU) As part of Embassy's Pandemic Influenza Working 
Group preparedness efforts, Emboffs and medical 
representatives from Camp As-Sayliyeh and Al-Udeid Air Base 
met recently with Dr. Mohammad Al Thani, a Senior Medical 
Advisor at the National Health Authority (NHA) and Qatar's 
National Coordinator for Pandemic Influenza issues.  This 
meeting followed earlier discussions of influenza issues with 
the Director of Public Health, Dr. Gail Chanpong, and the 
Civil Aviation Authority Vice Chairman, Ibrahim Abdulgadir. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Al Thani reported that Qatar has stocks of Tamiflu 
and Relenza in sufficient supply for 35 percent of the 
population. (Note: Qatar's population has doubled to at least 
1.5 million in the last four years and Al Thani did not 
reveal the total number of stocks on hand.  Since the GOQ 
began medical stockpiling several years ago, the precise 
level of their medical supplies has been unclear and remains 
so).  The GOQ has held several national-level, inter-agency 
drills on pandemic influenza.  The most recent drill, in 
April 2008, focused on an outbreak where the virus arrives in 
Qatar via poultry and the GOQ tries to stop further imports 
and prevent local spread of the virus.  (Note: The Rand 
Corporation has been involved in helping to plan and execute 
the drills).  Qatar does have poultry farms but Al Thani 
asserted they are "highly monitored."  Rumaila Hospital in 
Doha has been designated as the quarantine area if there are 
initial human cases, but any large-scale need for quarantine 
would immediately run into space constraints.  Al Thani 
speculated that the GOQ would likely move to take over 
private hospitals to create additional room to meet such a 
need. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Al Thani noted that the NHA is working on creating 
outbreak projections where "hot spots" of transmission would 
develop during an outbreak.  He assessed that the industrial 
area outside of Doha and work camps at Ras Laffan and 
Mesaieed were the biggest concern, as crowding and poor 
sanitary conditions would likely amplify any outbreak.  He 
concluded by noting that the GOQ plans its next national 
drill in December or January, a drill that will include the 
army and police. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Separately, Chanpong told Emboffs Qatar has had 
several suspected cases of H5N1 in children.  Medical teams 
investigated the cases and sent samples to Egypt for 
evaluation, but all results were negative.  She also assessed 
that Qatar has prepared well by storing medical supplies 
(anti-virals and respirators), but the GOQ lacks an effective 
communication network within the government and to the 
broader community.  Moreover, most medical resources, 
concentrated at Hamad Hospital in Doha, should be diversified 
 
DOHA 00000677  002 OF 002 
 
 
to provide other layers of protection and response, according 
to Chanpong. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Abdulgadir separately told Econoff that the New Doha 
International Airport (NDIA) will have specialized facilities 
for health screening and quarantine.  (Note: The first phase 
of NDIA is projected to open by 2010 and will have capacity 
for 24 million passengers/year).  Abdulgadir said the GOQ 
uses WHO guidelines for sick passengers on air travel, and 
the Civil Aviation Authority is working with airports from 
infected areas to create certification mechanisms to ensure 
that passengers are healthy before they board flights to Doha. 
 
LeBaron