VZCZCXRO0092
RR RUEHAST RUEHDH RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB RUEHPOD RUEHTM RUEHTRO
DE RUEHBR #0579 1281933
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 081933Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4239
INFO RUEHSO/AMCONSUL SAO PAULO 3994
RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO 7683
RUEHRG/AMCONSUL RECIFE 9486
RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1584
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC

UNCLAS BRASILIA 000579 
 
DEPT FOR OES/IHB AMBASSADOR LOFTIS 
DEPT FOR WHA/BSC 
USDA PASS TO APHIS 
HHS PASS TO CDC 
HHS FOR OGHA 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TBIO KFLU CASC AEMR AMED ASEC KSAF PREL PINR AMGT KFLO
KPAO, TF, BR 
SUBJECT: TFFLU01: H1N1 INFLUENZA OUTBREAK AND BRAZIL:  SITREP #9 
 
REF:  A) Brasilia 517, B) Brasilia 523, C) Brasilia 530, 
D) Brasilia 538, E) Brasilia 542, F) Brasilia 552, 
G) Brasilia 560, H) Brasilia 566 
 
(U) THIS MESSAGE IS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED AND NOT FOR INTERNET 
DISTRIBUTION.  PLEASE HANDLE ACCORDINGLY. 
 
¶1.  (SBU) This report provides an update on developments in Brazil 
regarding the swine flu outbreak. 
 
NEW REPORTED CASES: 
 
¶2.  (SBU) As of the afternoon of May 8 the Brazilian Ministry of 
Health continues to report four confirmed cases of the H1N1 flu in 
Brazil.  The four cases are spread throughout three states: 
Sao Paulo (2 cases), Rio de Janeiro (1 case) and Minas Gerais 
(1 case).  All of these cases involve young adults, each of whom 
recently returned from travelling in Mexico or the United States. 
The Ministry asserts that three of the four have returned home and 
are no longer contagious, while the fourth remains hospitalized in 
Rio de Janeiro.  The Ministry of Health is also monitoring people 
who have had close contact with infected individuals. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Health officials are reviewing laboratory tests for an 
additional 15 suspected cases throughout the country and say that the 
results should be released within the next 72 hours.  There are 21 
other potential cases also being investigated.  The Ministry also 
reports that over 90 cases have been eliminated as potential H1N1 
cases.  Currently there is no evidence of human to human transmission 
of H1N1 within Brazil. 
 
BRAZILIAN GOVERNMENT'S RECENT ACTIONS: 
 
¶4.  (SBU) The Ministry of Health and the National Agency on Health 
Vigilance (ANVISA) continue to affirm that the government is prepared 
to handle the appearance of H1N1 in Brazil.  Transportation and health 
officials continue to monitor and observe passengers coming into 
Brazil via air and land.  These procedures include playing recorded 
messages alerting travelers of what symptom to be on the lookout for, 
conducting interviews of travelers exhibiting flu-like symptoms, and 
passing out brochures.  Officials at Brazil's international airports 
have also recently set up isolated rooms within each airport, which 
will be used to hold and interview travelers exhibiting flu-like 
symptoms. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) The Government of Brazil continues to stress to the 
Brazilian public that there is no need to panic and that the 
government is prepared to handle the situation.  In public remarks, 
the Brazilian Minister of Health, Jose Gomez Temporao, again exhorted 
the public not to self-medicate, and insisted that 52 hospitals 
throughout the country were prepared with enough medicine should the 
virus become more widespread. 
 
DEVELOPMENTS WITH MISSION BRAZIL: 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Mission Brazil feels the preventive procedures in place are 
sufficient given the current situation.  These procedures include 
promoting good hygiene, making hand sanitizer available, having the 
Medical Unit screen travelers for flu-like symptoms, and asking the 
consular customers with flu-like symptoms reschedule their appointment 
to return when they are well.  The Mission is issuing updated warden 
messages in light of the test results. 
 
SOBEL