VZCZCXRO5091
PP RUEHDBU RUEHLN RUEHSK RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHKB #0618 2171026
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 051026Z AUG 09
FM AMEMBASSY BAKU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1567
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 3488
RHMFISS/CDR USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RHMFIUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC

UNCLAS BAKU 000618 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/CARC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KFLU PREL AEMR CASC PINR AMGT SOCI ESTH AJ
SUBJECT: AZERBAIJAN: H1N1 STATUS AND PREPAREDNESS 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary. On July 30, Azerbaijan disclosed its first two 
lab-confirmed cases of H1N1 flu, a 40 year-old woman who returned 
from a trip to France July 27 and a teenage boy who returned from a 
trip to the UK July 29. By August 1, the woman was released from the 
Baku Hospital of Lung Diseases and the boy was released shortly 
thereafter.  Authorities have also tested two acquaintances of the 
boy who came down with fevers.  In its public approach to the cases, 
the Ministry of Health has kept its statements factual and 
consistent with WHO advice.  However, the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs has been more reactive and exceeded the international 
guidance by calling on citizens to avoid foreign travel.  The 
government has monitoring measures in place at ports of entry, but 
our observations at Heydar Aliyev airport suggests there are 
inconsistencies in their application.  Embassy has stockpiled 1,284 
Tamiflu doses.  The GOAJ has announced that it has 10,000 doses of 
antivirals on hand.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (U) The GOAJ has confirmed two cases of H1N1 in Azerbaijani 
tourists returning from France and the UK.  A 40-year-old woman 
returning directly to Baku from Paris self-reported her symptoms. An 
installed group thermal scanner at Heydar Aliyev airport detected 
the high fever of a teenage boy returning from London via Istanbul. 
Both were hospitalized and have already been released.  Authorities 
placed the family members traveling with the two patients under 
observation but did not quarantine them. Two acquaintances of the 
boy were later tested after complaining of high fevers; the results 
of these tests are not yet known, however the government has not 
announced any positive results.  Clinical investigation of the cases 
is the responsibility of the State Research Institute for Lung 
Diseases, the country's designated reference facility for pandemic 
influenza. 
 
¶3. (SBU) The Ministry of Health has been publicly forthcoming about 
the cases and careful to avoid statements that would cause 
unnecessary panic.  Its Pandemic Preparedness Plan was approved in 
August last year with assistance from WHO.  On April 28, the State 
Commission on Pandemic Influenza held a meeting about H1N1 and 
activated the national plan, which requires the participation of the 
Presidential Administration and Prime Minister's office; the 
Ministries of Health, Agriculture, Economic Development, Ecology, 
Finance, Emergency Situations, Internal Affairs, and Foreign 
Affairs; the Customs Committee; and the State Border Service. 
 
¶4. (U) USG collaboration with the WHO and the GOAJ in preparing the 
country for an outbreak of H1N1 took the form of a USAID-organized 
workshop on H1N1 flu for media representatives in June with the 
participation of the Azerbaijan Health Communications Association 
that featured discussion of the country's preparedness for an 
epidemic and the role of journalists in informing the public about 
preventive measures. 
 
¶5. (SBU) The Ministry of Health reports that it has 10,000 doses of 
Tamiflu and we understand that it follows WHO recommendations 
regarding its use and administration.  The Virology Laboratory of 
the State Anti-plague Station has only 100 test kits remaining and 
tests only those who are symptomatic in accordance with WHO 
recommendation for resource-limited countries.  Due to rigid 
government budget and procurement processes, the Ministry of Health 
is unable to purchase additional test kits, and has asked WHO for 
assistance in acquiring more.  Tamiflu is reportedly available at 
some pharmacies, but the extent of its availability is not known. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Embassy Baku's Medical Unit has 1,284 doses of Tamiflu on 
hand.  The Medical Officer has disseminated information to the 
Embassy community on managing mild cases of flu disease and on the 
warning signs of a more severe case. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Comment. While it is clear that the GOAJ takes the danger 
of pandemic influenza appropriately seriously and can apparently 
detect and manage small numbers of infections among people arriving 
at major ports of entry, its ability to handle a rapid, aggressive 
pandemic is less certain.   Despite the existence of a National 
Pandemic Preparedness Plan, the availability of antivirals and 
sustained assistance from the WHO, Azerbaijan's capabilities are 
limited by its small supply of test kits and restrictive procurement 
policies that prevent the Ministry of Health from quickly acquiring 
them. As a result, the country will be dependent on WHO and 
international donors if the need becomes acute.  Additionally, 
Baku's preparedness plan and health communications system has never 
been validated in an exercise scenario, and therefore any 
shortcomings will be discovered in the context of actual operations. 
 
LU