VZCZCXRO9704
OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHGO #0238/01 1170747
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 270747Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY RANGOON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8895
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 2257
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 1918
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 5183
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 5396
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 8989
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 6565
RUEHCN/AMCONSUL CHENGDU 1773
RUEHCHI/AMCONSUL CHIANG MAI 2144
RUEHCI/AMCONSUL KOLKATA 0621
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHDC
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHINGTON DC
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 RANGOON 000238 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS, G/AIAG; 
PACOM FOR FPA; 
USDA FOR FAS/PECAD, FAS/CNMP, FAS/AAD, APHIS; 
BANGKOK FOR USAID:JMACARTHUR, APHIS:NCARDENAS, REO:HHOWARD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAGR EAID AMED PGOV PREL CASC TBIO KFLU BM
SUBJECT: BURMA: GOB RESPONDS TO SWINE FLU; NO OUTBREAK IN 
BURMA 
 
REF: STATE 41768 
 
RANGOON 00000238  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1.  (SBU)  The Burmese Government has informed us, and WHO 
agrees, that, contrary to a BBC Burma Service radio report, 
there are no cases of swine flu in either humans or animals 
in Burma.  The GOB continues to coordinate among various 
Ministries and plans to produce a swine flu action plan 
shortly.  While local press has reported on swine flu 
outbreaks worldwide, the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries 
does not plan to issue a press release about the disease 
unless swine flu cases are confirmed in Asia.  The Ministry 
will host a meeting with the Livestock Federation and owners 
of large farms on April 28 to discuss biosecurity measures. 
End Summary. 
 
No Outbreak of Swine Flu 
------------------------ 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  According to Livestock Breeding Veterinary 
Department (LBVD) Deputy Director General Aung Gyi, the April 
26 Burmese language BBC radio report alleging five cases of 
swine flu in Burma is inaccurate.  LBVD and World Health 
Organization (WHO) officials emphasize that as of April 27, 
there are no cases of swine flu in either humans or animals. 
While local newspapers have reported on swine flu outbreaks 
in Mexico and the United States, Aung Gyi told us that the 
Ministry of Livestock does not plan to issue a press 
statement about the disease because it does not want to cause 
a public panic.  Should there be any outbreaks of the disease 
in Asia, the Ministry of Livestock will issue a statement in 
both Burmese and English to educate the public.  The 
Ministries of Livestock and Health have held a meeting in Nay 
Pyi Taw to discuss the swine flu outbreak and to establish 
contingency plans should an outbreak occur.  Embassy Rangoon 
will seek a readout of the meeting and will inquire about a 
GOB action plan. 
 
Testing Capacity Limited 
------------------------ 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  Aung Gyi acknowledged that LBVD laboratories have 
little ability to test for H1N1.  LBVD is prepared to use 
avian influenza rapid test kits to preliminarily test any 
potential swine flu outbreaks, and would send any samples to 
Bangkok for further testing.  Aung Gyi commented that LBVD 
may seek donor funding to provide additional rapid test kits 
to improve the GOB's ability to identify and respond to the 
disease. 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  Aung Gyi also confirmed that while Burma has had 
no instances of swine flu in the past, swine fever is 
prevalent among local livestock.  This disease is not 
transmittable to humans, and LBVD produces vaccines to 
prevent the spread of the disease. 
 
Preliminary Precautions 
----------------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU)  The Ministry of Livestock, currently the lead 
agency on swine flu, will host a meeting with the Myanmar 
Livestock Federation and owners of large pig farms on April 
28 to discuss biosecurity measures and reporting of any 
irregularities.  U Aung Than, Director of the Directorate of 
Trade in the Ministry of Commerce, told us that the Ministry 
 
RANGOON 00000238  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
of Commerce does not currently have plans to restrict imports 
or exports of pig products, even though the Government of 
Thailand plans to do so.  Currently, the majority of trade in 
pork occurs through illegal border trade; neither the 
Ministry of Livestock, Customs, nor the Ministry of Commerce 
have plans to monitor this trade.  According to Deputy DG 
Aung Gyi, the Ministry of Health is considering imposing 
quarantine measures at the Rangoon International Airport. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  It appears that the Ministry of Livestock is 
taking measures to address swine flu, including education of 
farmers and prevention activities.  We expect that it will 
model a swine flu action plan after its successful avian 
influenza program.  We will continue to coordinate with the 
Ministries of Health, Livestock, and Commerce, as well as the 
WHO, to ascertain information on the GOB's plans to prevent a 
swine flu outbreak among both humans and animals.  We expect 
that the Ministries of Health and Livestock, which have 
limited ability to test for and confirm cases of H1N1, will 
request donor assistance to improve their capacities. 
DINGER