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RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
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DE RUEHTL #0124 1261415
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 061415Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY TALLINN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1131
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS TALLINN 000124 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KFLU AEMR ASEC CASC KFLO TBIO KSAF KPAO PREL
PINR, AMGT, TF, EN 
SUBJECT: TFFLU01: ESTONIAN PANDEMIC INFLUENZA PLANNING 
 
REF A: SECSTATE 45269 
    B: SECSTATE 45833 
 
¶1.  There are no suspected or confirmed cases of H1N1 
Influenza A in Estonia at this time.  The Estonian 
Government has dusted off a pandemic influenza action plan 
prepared in 2006, when concerns about avian influenza were 
at their highest.  Post has spoken with GOE officials and 
private practitioners about actions taken so far and about 
possible future actions, should the virus spread to Estonia. 
 
¶2.  The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs published a 
travel alert on 29 April advising its citizens to avoid non- 
essential travel to Mexico, and on 4 May added a paragraph 
to its travel advice for the United States, Canada, the 
United Kingdom and Spain providing links to websites 
providing information about the disease.  Otherwise, Estonia 
has imposed no restrictions on travelers in connection with 
the worldwide H1N1 outbreak, nor has it imposed any 
restrictions on trade.  Although officers of the Estonian 
Health Inspectorate are present at airports and the busy 
Tallinn port, no thermal imaging equipment is being used at 
this time (Reftel A).  However, health authorities have 
provided information about the influenza outbreak to 
personnel at Estonia's ports of entry, and have provided 
directions (such as guidance regarding which symptoms to 
look for and which hospital should be used in case of 
suspected H1N1 infection) to airport and port personnel as 
well as to family doctors and hospitals across the country. 
 
¶3.  The GOE has a special reserve of 3,000 courses of 
Tamiflu, acquired directly from Roche (enough to cover 
approximately 0.25% of the population).  In addition, around 
8,000 courses are available in the marketplace, with a 
doctor's prescription.  Relenza is generally not available 
in Estonia.  Although they have no firm data at this time, 
health authorities have not noticed a significant increase 
in demand for Tamiflu among the Estonian public.  A full 
course of Tamiflu (10 X 75mg capsules) costs EEK 411 
(approximately USD 35) in Estonia (less a 50% discount for 
persons covered by the national health system). 
 
¶4.  Because thousands of tourists arrive daily in Tallinn 
during the busy cruise ship season from May to September, 
Post spoke with one GOE official about Estonia's actions 
should a cruise ship arrive with symptomatic passengers. 
The official noted that Health Protection Inspectorate 
personnel posted to Tallinn's port would determine whether 
to transport symptomatic passengers to the Tallinn hospital 
designated for suspected H1N1 cases, or to provide treatment 
on site.  He noted that, unlike in other countries where 
tourists have been quarantined in hotels, he could not 
foresee a situation in which non-symptomatic passengers 
would be quarantined in a hotel or on a visiting cruise ship 
in Estonia. 
 
¶5.  As requested in Reftel B, post will enter this 
information in the H1N1 Matrix used by the Influenza 
Outbreak Task Force. 
 
¶6.  At the direction of Post's EAC, Post has formed a 
Pandemic Influenza Working Group to monitor the situation in 
Estonia, and to provide advice to the EAC on actions (if 
any) to be taken in connection with a possible pandemic. 
Any actions taken by the EAC will be reported Septel. 
 
DECKER