VZCZCXRO5038
OO RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHFK RUEHHM RUEHKSO RUEHNAG RUEHPB
DE RUEHML #1246/01 1610833
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 100833Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY MANILA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4341
INFO RUEHZU/APEC COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS IMMEDIATE
RHHMUNA/USPACOM HONOLULU HI IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MANILA 001246 
 
SIPDIS 
 
BANGKOK FOR HOWELL HOWARD AND WINSTON BOWMAN 
STATE PASS USAID 
STATE PASS HHS/NIH 
STATE PASS HHS/CDC 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC KFLU AEMR CASC KFLO TBIO KSAF KPAO PREL PINR
AMGT, MG, RP 
SUBJECT: MGSF01: H1N1 ANXIETY IN THE PHILIPPINES 
 
REF: A) MANILA 0913 B) MANILA 0941 C) MANILA 0959 D) MANILA  1043 E) 
MANILA 1108 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY:  While the number of H1N1 cases in the Philippines 
remains low (54) and there have been no related deaths, high-profile 
media coverage and precautionary university closures have increased 
anxiety levels among the Philippine public.  Mission continues to 
work with Philippine authorities to disseminate appropriate 
prevention messages to the public, while Post management has 
continued efforts to allay fears and remind Mission staff of flu 
prevention measures.  END SUMMARY. 
 
Philippine Department of Health Shifts Strategy 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) The Philippine Department of Health reported June 9 it had 
confirmed 54 H1N1 cases, with an additional 148 suspected cases 
awaiting laboratory results.  The Department of Health has shifted 
its H1N1 strategy after determining that the local case profile is 
mild.  It will stop contact tracing, which has little benefit for a 
fast-spreading illness, and only hospitalize people with high-risk 
preexisting conditions.  In an effort to put the flu danger in 
perspective, the Philippine Health Department pointed out that 
dengue fever has infected over 6500 people and caused 62 deaths in 
the Philippines in the first four months of 2009. 
 
Delayed University Openings 
--------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (U) Nonetheless, fears over more widespread infection led 
several major universities to close or delay the start of the new 
school year, which traditionally begins in June.  De La Salle 
University in Manila closed June 4 and advised students and faculty 
to confine themselves to their homes until June 14 after an exchange 
student was diagnosed with H1N1.  Since the closure, 13 more De La 
Salle students have been diagnosed with H1N1.  At least six colleges 
and universities delayed opening for several weeks after the normal 
June 1 start of the school year in order to allow returning students 
and staff time to complete the self-quarantine period encouraged by 
the Philippine Commission on Higher Education. 
 
¶4.  (U) The Philippine Department of Health determined the 
H1N1-positive university students only had mild flu cases, and have 
advised against school closures in the future, even with confirmed 
cases.  But media reports continue to spotlight the relatively small 
number of cases, keeping it on the front pages, and many of the 
stories have focused on the nationality of the flu sufferers, or 
their recent foreign travel, adding a hint of anti-foreigner bias to 
the issue. 
 
Mission Partners with Philippine Health Department 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶5.  USAID is continuing to work closely with the Philippine 
Department of Health to produce flyers, posters, leaflets, and other 
public-information materials on proper hand washing, cough manners, 
and other measures people can take to avoid catching and spreading 
H1N1.  This reinforces ongoing handwashing campaigns, including the 
Ambassador's participation in an Earth Day event to demonstrate 
correct handwashing procedures to mothers with young children. 
 
Reassuring Public of U.S. Troop's Health 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  On a June 4 trip to Zamboanga, Mindanao, where several hundred 
U.S. military personnel with the U.S. Joint Special Task Force are 
temporarily deployed, the Ambassador spoke to local media and noted 
that U.S. military forces undergo thorough medical screening before 
deployment and are regularly observed by trained medical staff. 
Emphasizing that the United States takes seriously the health of all 
U.S. personnel and our obligation not to spread disease, she 
encouraged proper hand washing and cough manners as ways to stay 
healthy and avoid spreading communicable diseases. 
 
Putting Disease in Perspective 
------------------------------ 
 
¶7.  Post Management has continued its active information campaign 
for Mission personnel, emphasizing that no cases of H1N1 have been 
found within the Embassy community and that all the cases reported 
among the Philippine public have been mild.  The international 
schools where most Embassy children attend classes follow the 
American school year and are currently on summer break. 
 
MANILA 00001246  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
KENNEY