VZCZCXRO3099
RR RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHGH RUEHPB RUEHVC
DE RUEHBJ #1283/01 1331104
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 131104Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3954
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
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA
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 02 BEIJING 001283 
 
HHS FOR OGHA 
CDC ATLANTA FOR CCID, AND PASS TO FLU COX AND MOUNTS AND 
COGH BLOUNT AND KELLEY 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KFLU AEMR ASEC CASC KFLO TBIO KSAF KPAO PREL PINR
AMGT, MG, EAGR, HHS, TF, CH 
SUBJECT:  TFFLU01: H1N1 INFLUENZA OUTBREAK - CHINA SITREP # 10 
 
REF: A) BEIJING 1274 B) BEIJING 1264 C) TOKYO 1072 
D) BEIJING 1245 E) BEIJING 1224    F) HONG KONG 802 
 
 
CHINA ISSUES ADVISORY ON TRAVEL TO THE UNITED STATES 
--------------------------- ------------------------ 
 
¶1. (SBU) On May 13, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) posted 
a travel advisory about travel to the U.S. related to the H1N1 
outbreak. Earlier in the day, MFA had notified Embassy Beijing of 
their intent to issue the travel advisory, noting that the advisory 
is not a travel warning, but rather, is a reminder to Chinese 
nationals in the United States to take appropriate precautions and 
health measures.  MFA also noted that the substance of the advisory 
was taken largely from information provided on the U.S. CDC website. 
 
 
¶2. (SBU)  Separately, Post received news that a delegation of 
approximately 20 provincial and Ministry of Human Resources and 
Social Security (MOHRSS) officials was scheduled to participate in a 
program on "Strengthening Governance through Enhanced Public 
Administration" on June 6-27 in the United States.  The Renmin 
University organizer informed the host institution Michigan State 
University this week that the program will have to be postponed due 
to Chinese Government concerns related to H1N1.  When asked about 
this (and other similar recent reports of delegations delaying 
official travel), a key MFA contact emphasized that there are no 
such prohibitions, and that at this time the only official guidance 
has been a travel advisory (paragraph 1), not a prohibition on 
travel. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Post has received reports through private sector contacts 
that China has instituted visa restrictions for any persons 
travelling to/from/through the U.S., and other H1N1 affected 
countries. Beijing Consular Section has been in contact with MFA 
regarding rumored visa restrictions, but MFA denied that it has 
imposed any restrictions because of the H1N1 outbreak. 
 
 
TWO CONFIRMED CASES OF H1N1 
--------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) As of COB May 13, China's Ministry of Health (MOH) has 
reported two confirmed cases of H1N1 on Mainland China. MOH notified 
Embassy Beijing of a second suspected case in Jinan City (Shandong 
Province) the evening of May 12 and confirmed the case as H1N1 
positive on May 13. The first H1N1 case on the mainland was 
confirmed in Chengdu on May 12 (REF A). One confirmed case had 
previously been reported in Hong Kong on May 1 (REF F). 
 
--The second confirmed H1N1 case, a 19 year-old Chinese male who had 
been studying in Canada, traveled on Air Canada flight 029 from 
Vancouver, arriving in Beijing on May 8.  While on board a train 
from Beijing to Jinan City (his hometown) on May 11, he contacted 
Jinan CDC to report flu-like symptoms. The student was then met by 
Jinan CDC officials upon arrival late on May 11 and transferred 
directly to Jinan Infectious Diseases Hospital for testing and 
treatment. On May 12, Jinan CDC and Shandong Provincial CDC both 
conducted tests that showed "probable" H1N1. MOH sent clinical and 
epidemiological experts to Jinan on the morning of May 13, and China 
CDC confirmed the case as influenza A/H1N1 later in the day. 
 
 
STATUS OF AMCIT QUARANTINE CASES 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) As of May 13, 73 American citizens are reported to be in 
quarantine throughout China - 48 are currently being quarantined in 
Beijing and fifteen are quarantined in nine other provinces and 
municipalities across China. Of these, over 50 were passengers on 
the May 8 NW029 flight from Tokyo to Beijing with China's first 
confirmed case of H1N1. The MFA and Foreign Affairs Offices (FAOs) 
 
BEIJING 00001283  002 OF 002 
 
 
in several provinces and municipalities have requested assistance 
from Embassy Beijing and our Consulates to help locate certain 
American citizens who traveled on the same flights as the two 
confirmed cases of H1N1 for quarantine. 
 
-- 40 AmCits remain quarantined at the Guomen Hotel. All 40 were 
passengers on flight NW029 into Beijing on May 8. One AmCit 
quarantined at the Guomen Hotel reports that health authorities 
posted an announcement saying if those under quarantine continue to 
show no symptoms, they would be released on May 16. There are now 
seven AmCits in quarantine at the Jinglin Hotel, with one new case 
transferred to the hotel on May 13 from Ditan Hospital. (Note: 
Jinglin Hotel is a correction from REF A, which named the hotel as 
the Jin Lin Da Sha Hotel.) One other AmCit, who arrived in Beijing 
in May 13 on flight CO089 and displayed flu-like symptoms upon 
arrival was taken to Ditan Hospital for observation. 
 
--Fifteen AmCits are in quarantine in Shandong, Gansu, Hebei, and 
Henan provinces. Of these, eight are known to have been on the May 8 
NW029 flight from Tokyo to Beijing. In one case in Zhengzhou (Henan 
Province), two travel companions of the passenger on NW029 were also 
quarantined. In another case in Qinhuangdao (Hebei Province), three 
other AmCits who were in a tour group with a couple who had traveled 
on NW029 were also quarantined. 
 
--There are currently five AmCits in quarantine who were on board 
NW025 from Detroit to Tokyo (Narita) on May 8 with the four 
confirmed H1N1-infected Japanese passengers (who remain in 
Japan)(REF C). Four AmCits remain in quarantine in Shanghai at the 
Jin Jiang Star Hotel. On May 11, one additional AmCit from that 
flight was placed under house quarantine in Hangzhou (Zhejiang 
Province). 
 
--Fujian FAO reported that a 10 month-old American citizen has been 
placed in quarantine at the Changle Hospital after the baby showed 
an elevated temperature at a local clinic on May 12. The baby and 
mother had flown from New York to Fuzhou via Hong Kong on May 7. The 
FAO also reported two other AmCits, another mother and child, had 
been quarantined at Changle Hospital overnight but were released as 
of May 13. 
 
--Guangzhou FAO reported that one AmCit was quarantined at 
Shenzhen's Shanhai Farm on May 12 after exhibiting a fever when 
crossing the border from Hong Kong to China. Two AmCits who traveled 
to Beijing on the same May 8 NW029 Tokyo to Beijing flight and then 
flew onward to Guangzhou remain in quarantine in Guangzhou. 
 
--In Kunming, one AmCit who had arrived in Beijing on the NW029 May 
8 flight and then traveled on to Yunnan remains in home quarantine. 
A second American who arrived in Kunming from Hong Kong on flight 
KA760 with an elevated temperature was put into quarantine at a 
local hospital. 
 
--Case reported in Shenyang not/not AmCit: Shenyang local newspaper 
reported on May 13 that one of six persons in quarantine at Shenyang 
Infectious Disease Hospital was a U.S. citizen. Subsequent inquiry 
by ConGen Shenyang confirmed the individual is a Chinese citizen, 
U.S. legal permanent resident (LPR/Green Card holder). 
 
PICCUTA