VZCZCXRO4085
RR RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHGH RUEHPB RUEHVC
DE RUEHBJ #1548/01 1601014
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 091014Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4408
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 9700
RUEHDN/AMCONSUL SYDNEY 0585
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 03 BEIJING 001548 
 
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, CH 
SUBJECT:  H1N1 INFLUENZA OUTBREAK - CHINA SITREP # 19 
 
REF: A) BEIJING 1466 B) BEIJING 1396 
C) BEIJING 1377 D) BEIJING 1362 
 
97 CASES OF 2009 A/H1N1 CONFIRMED, 27 AMCIT CASES 
----------------------------- ------------------- 
 
¶1.  (U) As of COB June 9, China's Ministry of Health (MOH) has 
officially communicated information about 97 confirmed cases of 
infection by the novel 2009 influenza A/H1N1.  27 of those confirmed 
cases involve American citizens.  Confirmed cases have been detected 
in nine provinces and the municipalities of Beijing and Shanghai, 
with the greatest number of cases occurring in Guangdong Province 
(24), Fujian (15), Sichuan (10), Beijing (25), and Shanghai (11). 
Of the 97 confirmed cases, MOH reported that as of June 8, 50 
infected patients had recovered and been released from treatment. 
The remaining 47 are being treated in isolation at local designated 
hospitals. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Cases involving American citizens have been reported in 
Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong Province (multiple locations), Fujian 
Province (Fuzhou), Sichuan Province (Chengdu), Hubei Province 
(Wuhan), and Henan Province (Zhengzhou).  Consular officers in 
Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Shanghai have established and 
maintained contact with Amcits being treated in local hospitals. 
 
¶3. (SBU)  In addition to the 27 confirmed cases involving American 
citizens, nine Canadian nationals have been confirmed as having been 
infected by the novel 2009 influenza A/H1N1 virus, as well as one 
Australian national, one French national, and one Venezuelan 
national. 
 
 
MEDIA TURNS SPOTLIGHT ON SOME CASES 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  Local media outlets reported on June 4 that a Chinese 
student on summer break from studies in the United States had 
visited the Embassy Beijing visa section waiting room on June 2, 
before being tested and confirmed for infection by influenza A/H1N1 
on June 3.  The articles published an hourly timeline of the 
patient's activities in the days leading up to being confirmed for 
H1N1. 
 
¶5. (SBU)  The Beijing Foreign Affairs Office (FAO) had earlier 
notified the Embassy on June 4 of this case, and requested that the 
Embassy a) provide names of Embassy staff (including interviewing 
visa officers) who had close contact (within about 2 meters) with 
the sick applicant; b) provide the names and means of contact for 
applicants who might have had close contact (within about 2 meters) 
with the sick applicant, and c) sterilize the visa waiting room. 
 
¶6. (SBU) At a meeting led by CDA Piccuta on June 4, it was 
determined that staff and visa applicant names would not be shared 
with authorities, due to privacy concerns.  Instead, the appropriate 
response would be to continue encouraging staff and applicants to 
observe good hygiene practices.  Consular staff were then briefed by 
Post medical professionals on risks of transmission and recommended 
countermeasures.  Consular staff also contacted directly the visa 
applicants who would have been in closest proximity to the student 
in the waiting room, apprising them of the event and urging them to 
seek medical attention should they themselves develop symptoms. 
 
 
¶7. (SBU)  Perhaps related to this publicized case, the Beijing 
Public Security Bureau also contacted Embassy Beijing on June 5, 
formally requesting that they meet with Embassy staff to a) discuss 
how to ensure foreigners' safety when they travel to Beijing under 
the current H1N1 influenza outbreak situation, e.g. tracing them, 
what to do if some are quarantined, etc; and b) discuss how to 
prevent a "panic" among the foreign population, and c) discuss means 
 
BEIJING 00001548  002 OF 003 
 
 
for establishing a communications channel.  A team of 
representatives from HHS, ACS, Management, and RSO are scheduled to 
take the meeting on June 12. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Separately, international and local media reported on June 
8 that New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin, his wife, and a staff member 
are being quarantined in Shanghai.  Mayor Nagin's party had arrived 
in Shanghai from Newark on June 6, and due to a confirmed case of 
H1N1 within three rows of where the three were sitting on the 
flight, local health officials contacted the party on June 7, 
requesting that they agree to being quarantined at the designated 
quarantine hotel in Shanghai.  Mayor Nagin's party have cooperated 
fully with the authorities and have reported to CDA Piccuta and 
Shanghai consular staff that they are being treated with utmost 
courtesy by local officials.  None of the three in quarantine have 
displayed any influenza symptoms.  On June 9, Shanghai ACS submitted 
a letter to the Shanghai FAO, requesting that given the continued 
lack of symptoms exhibited by the three, the Mayor and his party be 
permitted to depart China as soon as possible for Sydney, the next 
stop on their pre-set itinerary.  As of 1800 local time on June 9, 
Shanghai FAO was still considering the request. 
 
CANCELLATIONS IN OFFICIAL TRAVEL 
------------------------------- 
 
¶9. (SBU) Post continues to hear stories of cancellations or 
postponements of plans for travel of official and non-official 
delegations, both that of Chinese going to the United States, and 
that of Chinese hosts revoking invitations to host delegations from 
the United States.  The Embassy Cultural Affairs Office received 
word from the All-China Journalists Association on June 2 that a 
Voluntary Visitors delegation of six Chinese journalists had been 
instructed to postpone indefinitely their travel to the United 
States, originally scheduled for late-June.   At least half a dozen 
other Embassy-sponsored Chinese cultural exchange visitors or 
delegations also have cancelled or delayed their travel to the 
United States. Separately, the Shenyang FCS office reported that 
they have halted preparations to send a delegation of thirteen to 
Las Vegas and San Diego to attend the Waste Expo and the All 
American Water Works Conference June 7-18.  The delegation, all of 
whom are members of the Liaoning Provincial Private Business 
Enterprise Association, canceled due to concerns of being 
quarantined upon return to China. 
 
¶10. (SBU) In addition to outright trip cancellations, Post received 
in the last week numerous reports of American exchange students 
being quarantined without specific symptoms by their local hosts. 
Their stays with local schools were interrupted because their local 
exchange program hosts have adopted a strict interpretation of the 
official recommendation to "self-monitor" for seven days, for those 
arriving from H1N1-affected areas including the United States. 
 
 
CHINA BEGINS PRODUCTION ON VACCINES 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶11.  (U) Xinhua reported on June 9 that Sinovac Biotech Company, a 
vaccine-focused biotech state-owned enterprise (SOE) based in 
Beijing, has begun the process for manufacturing a vaccine for H1N1. 
 Sinovac had received from the World Health Organization (WHO) on 
June 8 samples of the H1N1 flu strain described as "NYMCX-179A." 
The State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) reports that it is 
coordinating among Sinovac and the ten other pharmaceutical 
companies equipped to produce influenza vaccines.   While Sinovac 
currently is the only local company with the capacity to 
batch-produce influenza vaccines for pandemics, the company 
announced on Monday that it would share "key technologies" with the 
other ten vaccine producers.  According to SFDA, if all eleven 
companies produce at full capacity, China could produce up to 360 
million doses annually. 
 
BEIJING 00001548  003 OF 003 
 
 
 
 
 
PICCUTA