VZCZCXRO9403
RR RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHGH RUEHPB RUEHVC
DE RUEHBJ #1241/01 1280855
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 080855Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3892
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHDC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC//USDP/ISA/AP//
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUCNARF/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/CJCS WASHINGTON DC//J2/J3/J5//
RHMFIUU/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI//J00/J2/J3/J5//

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIJING 001241 
 
HHS FOR OGHA 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KFLU AEMR ASEC CASC KFLO TBIO KSAF KPAO PREL PINR
AMGT, MG, EAGR, HHS, CH 
SUBJECT:  TFFLU01: H1N1 INFLUENZA OUTBREAK - CHINA SITREP # 3 Sent 
May 4, 2009 
 
REF: A) BEIJING 1171   B)STATE 44615  C) HONG KONG 802 
      D) BEIJING 1135   E)BEIJING 1132 
 
 
AMERICANS IN QUARANTINE AND NOTIFICATION PROCEDURES 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶1. (U) As of COB on May 4 Beijing Time, there are no confirmed cases 
of infection of humans or livestock by the A/H1N1 influenza virus on 
Mainland China.  One case was confirmed in Hong Kong on May 1 (REF 
C). 
 
¶2. (SBU) Post has become aware of four American citizens who are 
being or were recently held in quarantine.  ConOffs have made 
contact with all of them, either directly or through family members. 
 None currently present flu-like symptoms but two of the four 
continue to be observed at quarantine facilities. 
 
- A 38 year-old female has been in quarantine in Yiwu, Zhejiang 
Province (5 hour drive southwest of Shanghai) since early morning 
hours of Friday May 1.  Zhejiang Provincial Foreign Affairs Office 
notified ConGen Shanghai of her whereabouts on the morning of May 
¶2. 
 
- A 20 year-old male has been in quarantine in Beijing since 
afternoon of Saturday May 2. 
 
- A male of unknown age was placed into quarantine after having 
arrived in Guangzhou from the United States by air on May 2 and 
remained under observation until May 4.  Quarantine officers had 
detected a fever upon his arrival in Guangzhou.  He has been in 
touch with ConGen Guangzhou since his release. 
 
- A male of unknown age who made a border crossing from Hong Kong to 
Shenzhen was placed into quarantine on May 3.  Although he presented 
no flu symptoms, border officials noted a trip to Mexico within the 
last seven days.  The Amcit was released on May 4 and has been in 
contact with ConGen Guangzhou. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Post received official notification only for one of the 
above cases.  For the others, neither local health officials nor 
Foreign Affairs Offices conveyed to Post that decisions to 
quarantine American citizens had been made.  Embassy Beijing has 
prepared a diplomatic note to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for 
delivery on May 5, requesting formal notification of these cases and 
any subsequent cases that occur mission-wide. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Post has learned that health authorities are contemplating 
setting up a 24-hour nation-wide phone line to respond to requests 
for information from the public, including from foreign embassies 
regarding the status of their nationals.  A final decision has not 
yet been made. 
 
FLIGHTS FROM MEXICO AND MEXICAN PASSPORT HOLDERS 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶5. (SBU) Post has been in contact with Mexican counterparts in 
Beijing and Shanghai, who report that they currently are aware of 49 
Mexican nationals under quarantine in Shanghai and another 10 in 
Beijing.  Many are long-term residents in China and reportedly have 
not been physically present in Mexico for several months. 
 
¶6. (SBU) The twice weekly Aeromexico flight from Tijuana to Shanghai 
was cancelled effective May 2.  The Mexican Consulate told ConGen 
Shanghai that the Mexican government has negotiated with the PRC a 
special flight from Mexico to China to repatriate Mexicans who have 
been quarantined.  The flight will likely depart Mexico for Shanghai 
on the morning of May 4 Mexico time.  Mexican and Chinese officials 
are negotiating whether Mexican nationals quarantined in Beijing or 
Guangzhou will be transported to Shanghai, or if the plane will make 
multiple stops. 
 
¶7. (SBU)  Beijing DHS attache learned on May 3 that all arriving 
passengers who have either been in Mexico in the past 14 days or are 
Mexican citizens appear to be facing stricter controls and are being 
 
BEIJING 00001241  002 OF 003 
 
 
given the choice of undergoing quarantine for up to seven days or be 
deported. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Foreign media has reported that the Mexican consular 
officials in Guangzhou were stopped at the Guangzhou airport, 
questioned, and eventually released, after having been on travel 
within Asia.  ConGen Guangzhou has confirmed these reports. 
 
 
ENTRY AND BORDER INSPECTION PROCEDURES TIGHTENED 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶9. (SBU)  Passengers arriving on international flights now must 
complete a quarantine form upon arrival and are having their 
temperatures monitored by thermo-scan.  Passengers presenting flu 
symptoms on flights arriving from "affected" countries potentially 
face additional procedures, like undergoing a routine medical exam 
at the airport, or, in some circumstances, transportation to local 
hospitals and/or hotels designated for quarantine.  Implementation 
across airports nationwide has been uneven, although becoming 
increasingly thorough as additional resources have been deployed. 
 
¶10. (SBU) Post has added language to e-Country Clearance Approval 
notifications, advising USG TDY travelers of current screening 
procedures. 
 
 
¶11. (U)  Designated hospitals for dealing with suspected or 
confirmed cases are as follows: 
 
--Beijing: Ditan Hospital, You'An Hospital, and Peking Union 
Hospital. 
 
--Shanghai: Shanghai Public Health Center and Fudan University 
Affiliated Children's Hospital. 
 
--Guangzhou: Guangzhou No. 2 Hospital 
 
--Chengdu: Huaxi Hospital, People's No. 6 Hospital, and Chengdu No. 
4 Hospital. 
 
--Shenyang: Shenyang Children's Hospital, Shenyang No.4 Hospital, 
and Shengjing Hospital 
 
 
¶12. (SBU) Some local hospitals are reporting that they do not have a 
sufficient supply of Tamiflu on hand. 
 
¶13. (SBU) Shenyang Pol/Econoff learned from local contacts that Land 
Port officials in Dandong, Heilongjiang Province, determined that a 
Canadian passenger arriving on a bus from North Korea had a high 
temperature.  The Canadian and all passengers were taken to the 
Dandong Infectious Disease Hospital for medical exams on May 2.  All 
were eventually released the next day. 
 
 
 
GOVERNMENT PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶14. (SBU) H1N1 test kits and virus isolates are set to arrive in 
China from U.S. CDC on afternoon of May 6 Beijing Time. 
 
¶15. (SBU)  The Health Counselor at the Canadian Embassy reported 
that Canadian health officials are also in the process of preparing 
H1N1 samples to share with Chinese authorities (ETA unknown). 
 
¶16. (SBU) HHS Attache in Beijing received a request from Ministry of 
Health (MOH) contacts for a copy of the United States' Pandemic 
Preparedness Flu Plan, specifically any information on the 
delegation of roles and responsibilities among U.S. Government 
agencies.  Post provided the U.S. National Strategy for Pandemic 
Influenza to MOH on May 4. 
 
¶17. (SBU) Separately, China CDC requested information on whether 
 
BEIJING 00001241  003 OF 003 
 
 
U.S. authorities had closed or were intending to close U.S. borders. 
 Post provided the transcript from the "President's Remarks on H1N1" 
from April 30, which addressed this question. 
 
¶18. (U) ConGen Guangzhou, where all immigrant visas for children 
adopted from China by Americans, reports that the China Central 
Authority on Adoptions (CCAA) is now recommending that adopting 
parents delay their travel to China.  However, CCAA continues to 
match children with adoptive parents and provincial authorities 
continue to process adoptions. 
 
 
PICCUTA