VZCZCXRO7460
OO RUEHAST RUEHCHI RUEHDH RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHNH RUEHPB
RUEHPOD RUEHTM RUEHTRO
DE RUEHBK #1122/01 1260943
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 060943Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY BANGKOK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6943
INFO RUEHCHI/AMCONSUL CHIANG MAI 6533
RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 7490
RUEHSV/AMEMBASSY SUVA 0458
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/USCINCPACLO WASHDC
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BANGKOK 001122 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR OES/IHB JJONES,CPATTERSON; EAP FOR DHANNEMAN; 
EEB/TPP/MTAA/ABT FOR ARYAN 
DEPT FOR USAID/GBH 
USDA FOR FAS,APHIS, AND OSTA 
HHS FOR CDC 
USCINCPACLO FOR AFRIMS 
STATE PASS TO USTR FOR JDOHERTY/DBISBEE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KFLU AEMR ASEC CASC TBIO KSAF KPAO PREL PINR AMGT
MG, ECON, EAID, WHO, EAGR, ETRD TH 
SUBJECT:  MGSF01: No Thai H1N1; ASEAN Flu Summit May 7 
 
REF: (A) Bangkok 1060; (B) State 45833; (C) State 45269; (D) State 
44254 
 
BANGKOK 00001122  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: There remain no reported cases of A/H1N1 in humans 
or swine in Thailand.  Control measures at the airports are in 
effect.  The Royal Thai Government (RTG) will host May 7-8 a 
ministerial summit of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) 
+ 3 (Japan, China, South Korea) health ministers.  CDC, State and 
USAID representatives will attend the meeting; digital video 
conference with Washington will be held on both days.  Swine product 
imports from the U.S. continue to be effectively banned as Post 
engagement continues.  Embassy Bangkok held a May 6 EAC meeting but 
will institute no extraordinary measures at this time beyond 
continued communication with the Embassy community and general 
American public in Thailand.  END SUMMARY 
 
NO H1N1 CASES 
------------- 
 
¶2. (U) As of May 6, there have been no confirmed cases of A/H1N1 
influenza in Thailand.  The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) 
continues to direct H1N1 preparations.  On May 3, a group of 14 Thai 
students and teachers returning to Bangkok from Mexico were met by 
MoPH officials and voluntarily processed.  After examination, three 
were quarantined in a MoPH hospital until tests confirmed the 
absence of A/H1N1. Currently two Thais (not associated with the 
group of students and teachers) and one German are under quarantine 
after they arrived from overseas with high temperatures and flu-like 
symptoms; test results have not yet determined if they have A/H1N1. 
 
 
ASEAN + 3 MINISTERIAL SUMMIT MAY 7 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (U) The RTG will host a meeting of the Association of Southeast 
Asian Nations (ASEAN) + 3 (Japan, South Korea and China) public 
health ministers May 7-8 in Bangkok to plan regional cooperation. 
The "ASEAN+3 Health Ministers Special Meeting on Influenza A(H1N1)" 
on May 8 will be preceded by the "Special Meeting of Senior 
Officials on Health Development" on May 7. 
 
¶4. (U) The summit will consider how to use the 2003 SARS outbreak as 
a model for regional H1N1 response.  USG officials are invited to 
attend the meetings on both days of the summit; State, CDC and USAID 
representatives will participate.  On May 7 and 8 there will be a 
digital video conference with HHS/CDC officials in the U.S. to 
discuss the U.S. experience with A/H1N1 and preparedness plans. 
 
ROYAL THAI GOVERNMENT RESPONSE 
------------------------------ 
 
¶5. (SBU) Airport officials continue to thermoscan passengers at the 
major Thai airports (Suvarnabhumi (Bangkok), Chiang Mai, Phuket, 
Samui, and Hat Yai). Krabi airport has one daily flight from 
Malaysia and arrivals are randomly checked with an ear thermometer. 
 The MoPH appears to be directing management of passengers with 
symptoms.  CDC Southeast Asia Director was on the flight with 
returning Thai students and teachers (paragraph two) and noted that 
the flight crew distributed questionnaires on arrival, before 
deplaning.  MoPH agents first escorted the 14 arrivals from Mexico 
off the aircraft to a separate airport quarantine.  All RTG actions 
appear to have the voluntary cooperation of passengers.  With regard 
to symptomatic passengers, the MoPH states that it will contact 
passengers surrounding any passenger who develops a confirmed case 
of A/H1N1. 
 
THAILAND MAINTAINS BAN ON SWINE IMPORTS 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) On April 27, the RTG Ministry of Agriculture's Department 
of Livestock Development issued an official memorandum to its port 
inspection offices to consider carefully the importation of swine 
 
BANGKOK 00001122  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
and swine carcasses from the United States, Mexico, and any country 
announcing an A/H1NI outbreak.  On May 1 and 4, Post delivered 
demarche points to senior officials at the Ministries of Commerce, 
Foreign Affairs and Agriculture to inform them of USG concerns per 
Ref D.  As of May 6 the ban on all swine products (Ref A) continues. 
 Septel will report RTG response to demarche. 
 
EMBASSY BANGKOK PREPARATIONS 
---------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) On May 6 Embassy Bangkok held a A/H1N1 Working 
Group/sub-EAC committee meeting to discuss A/H1N1 status, and review 
tripwire and Mission preparation plans.  The Mission will not at 
this time take any extraordinary measures, but will release a new 
management notice, and warden message to follow, with an update on 
A/H1N1 in Thailand and guidance.  While Post will continue regular 
meetings and coordination with Consulate General Chiang Mai, it was 
agreed that any confirmed A/H1N1 cases in Thailand, or sustained 
transmission in neighboring countries, would trigger an immediate 
sub-EAC meeting and consideration of other actions.  CDC and RMO 
physicians warned that influenza season is year-round in Southeast 
Asia, and that a spike in cases is usually seen around this time of 
year.  Our planning assumption is that there probably will be some 
confirmed A/H1N1 cases in Thailand in the months ahead. 
 
¶8. (U) POC is ESTH officer Hal Howard, howardhh@state.gov. Other 
information will be reported through the Share-Point Matrix as 
requested in Ref B.  Thermoscan reporting will be by email per Ref 
¶C. 
 
JOHN