VZCZCXRO6765
RR RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHGH RUEHPB RUEHVC
DE RUEHBJ #1335/01 1381043
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 181043Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4043
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 001335 
 
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 # 13 
 
REF: A) BEIJING 1317 B) BEIJING 1298 C) HONG KONG 887   D) BEIJING 
1283     E) BEIJING 1274 F) BEIJING 1264    G) TOKYO 1072       H) 
HONG KONG 802 
 
 
THREE CONFIRMED A (H1N1) CASES ON MAINLAND CHINA, A FOURTH SUSPECTED 
CASE AWAITING CONFIRMATION 
--------------------- ----------- ------------------------ 
 
¶1.  (U) As of May 18, there are three confirmed cases of H1N1 on 
Mainland China. China's Ministry of Health (MOH) announced on May 16 
the first confirmed case of infection of influenza A(H1N1)in Beijing 
Municipality.  There are two other confirmed H1N1 cases on Mainland 
China (REF D and F). Hong Kong also has three confirmed cases of 
H1N1, the first confirmed on May 1 (REF H), a second case confirmed 
on May 13 (REF C) and according to press reports, and the third 
case, a 23-year old male student returning from the United States, 
confirmed by Hong Kong medical authorities on May 17. 
 
--According to MOH, the third confirmed case on the mainland 
involved an 18 year-old female Chinese student enrolled in college 
in New York State.  She arrived in Beijing on May 11 Continental 
Airlines #89 from Newark and sought medical treatment on May 14, 
after reportedly having had limited exposure to the public before 
then.  China CDC and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences 
conducted confirmation tests on May 16 and confirmed the case as 
influenza A/H1N1 positive. She is now reported to be in stable 
condition receiving treatment in isolation at Ditan Hospital. 
Premier WEN Jiabao visited Ditan Hospital on May 17, conversing with 
her via video link. 
 
-- On May 18, MOH notified Embassy Beijing of a suspected fourth 
case of influenze A(H1N1) in Guangzhou.  The case, a 59-year old 
male, a Chinese citizen, went on a tour in Canada and the United 
States in late April. On May 13, he arrived in Hong Kong via Korea, 
and on May 14 developed flu-like symptoms. On May 15, he traveled 
from Hong Kong to Guangzhou by train and was found to have a fever 
when he arrived at Guangzhou East Station. He was then sent to 
Guangzhou Number 8 People's Hospital for treatment and testing, and 
Guangdong CIQ, Guangzhou CDC and Guangdong CDC test results all 
showed positive for influenza A/H1N1 nuclear acid. A sample from the 
case has been sent to China CDC for final confirmation. 
 
-- Press accounts report the mainland's first confirmed influenza 
A(H1N1) case was released from the hospital in Chengdu on May 17 and 
has returned to his hometown of Nejiang, Sichuan. 
 
 
STATUS OF AMCIT QUARANTINE CASES 
--------------------- ---------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) As of May 18, 17 American citizens are reported to be in 
quarantine throughout China. Beijing FAO reported that all of the 
passengers on the May 8 NW029 flight who were in quarantine have 
been released. Beijing ACS has made direct contact with most of the 
58 AmCits who had been on NW029 to confirm their release. Twelve 
AmCits are currently quarantined in Beijing's consular district, and 
another five have been quarantined in the Tibetan Autonomous 
Region. 
 
-- Five AmCits are quarantined in Beijing at Ditan Hospital. 
 
--A group of seven Amcits from the University of Chicago were 
quarantined in Dunhuang, Gansu, on May 17 after one member of the 
group was taken to the hospital for fever and stomach pain.  Tests 
for H1N1 have been conducted and they are awaiting results. 
 
--The Tibetan Autonomous Region FAO notified the ConGen Chengdu on 
May 16 that five American citizens have been quarantined in their 
hotel in Lhasa after an Italian citizen in their tour group became 
ill. According to the FAO, lab tests are still being run to 
determine the Italian citizen's illness. 
 
BEIJING 00001335  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
-- In the Guangzhou and Shanghai consular districts, all previously 
quarantined American citizens have now been released and Post is not 
currently aware of any new cases of Americans being quarantined. 
 
 
HOTELS ASKED TO PERFORM TEMPERATURE CHECKS 
------------------ ----------------------- 
 
¶3. (U) China's Tourist and Hotel Association has issued guidance 
asking hotels to implement certain H1N1 prevention and control 
measures, including monitoring guests' temperatures.  According to 
the notice, anyone who exhibits an elevated temperature over 38 
degrees Celsius during check in, or at any time during their stay, 
is to be reported to the local Center for Disease Control (CDC) and 
taken to a designated medical center for observation and quarantine. 
 
 
 
ALLEGED TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS FOR FOREIGN TEACHERS AT A UNIVERSITY 
------------------ ------------------------- ------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) In Jilin Province, an AmCit teacher at Changchun University 
of Science and Technology alleged that the school informed 
non-Chinese national teachers not to leave Changchun or meet with 
people from out of town. School officials assured ConGen Shenyang 
that no blanket travel restriction has been placed on the foreign 
teachers, noting that the foreign teachers were advised to avoid 
crowded places and notify the school of any travel plans with 
contact information (a policy already in place prior to the H1N1 
outbreak outside of China). 
 
 
CHANGES TO CHINA'S VISA APPLICATION PROCESS 
-------------------- ---------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) Despite official MFA statements to the contrary, Post 
continues to receive reports from private sector contacts about new 
requirements or restrictions on processing visa applications for 
travel to China.  Moreover, several USG delegations that had been 
planning to travel to China in coming weeks have been told by 
Chinese hosts to postpone their trip to an unspecified later date. 
 
 
PICCUTA