VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBU #1166 3002019
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 272019Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4524
INFO RUCNMER/MERCOSUR COLLECTIVE
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/HQ USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 001166 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR OES/IHB - P. MURPHY AND D. WILUSZ 
DEPT PLEASE PASS TO NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE 
DEPT PLEASE PASS TO CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL 
HHS FOR OFFICE OF GLOBAL HEALTH AFFAIRS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TBIO SOCI PREL AMED CASC AR
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR MEETS WITH ARGENTINA'S HEALTH MINISTER 
 
¶1.  ACTION REQUEST - See paras two and six. 
 
¶2.  Summary:  The Ambassador, accompanied by ESTH Couns, met on 
October 25 with Argentina's Health Minister Juan Manzur and 
Vice-Minister Jaime Lazovski.  Minister Manzur expressed his 
appreciation for U.S. cooperation on H1N1 and shared his ministry's 
experience in controlling the outbreak with the Ambassador.  She, in 
turn, expressed her gratitude for the help his office had provided 
to the Center for Diseases Control (CDC), as CDC prepares to deal 
with H1N1 during our winter flu season.  Manzur also highlighted his 
cooperation with Bolivia and Paraguay on dengue fever, expected to 
resurge this coming austral summer.  He mentioned his excellent 
meeting with the Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in 
late September in Washington and shared his plan to create a similar 
institute in Argentina.  Noting that President Cristina Fernandez de 
Kirchner fully supports it, he requested the Ambassador's assistance 
in enlisting the NCI to support the project.  He also expressed 
interest in inviting HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to the cancer 
institute's inauguration, tentatively set for March 2010.  The 
Ambassador pledged to work on both counts.  Post requests 
Department's assistance in contacting NCI and HHS to follow up on 
these requests (See Para 6.)  End Summary. 
 
Lessons learned from H1N1 outbreak 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  Minister Manzur stressed that Argentine health authorities had 
learned a lot from the H1N1 outbreak.  They had shared their 
findings with physicians from the Center for Diseases Control (CDC) 
who were in-country for several months to monitor the outbreak. 
Manzur thanked the USG for the donation of 150,000 doses of Tamiflu 
provided through the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO).  He 
noted that H1N1 had spread very rapidly, unlike the seasonal flu, 
but that the epidemic was essentially over now in Argentina.  The 
Health Ministry had taken several critical measures, he said, which 
had helped to control the virus.  With H1N1 representing more than 
92% of all flu cases, health authorities had provided Tamiflu free 
of charge to all patients exhibiting flu symptoms within 48 hours of 
the appearance of these symptoms.  Communication about the 
importance of personal hygiene, in-house isolation of H1N1 cases, 
and the early start of the winter vacations for schools had helped 
in controlling the spread of the virus.  Manzur also highlighted the 
GOA's focus on high-risk groups, such as pregnant women and 
immune-deficiency patients, who were authorized paid leave during 
the three-week peak of the outbreak. 
 
Multilateral cooperation on dengue fever 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  Manzur said that 100 million people worldwide get dengue fever 
annually and noted that there had been 26,000 cases in Argentina 
this year, spread throughout 14 provinces.  Communication on good 
practices and hygiene was the key strategy to prevent the spread of 
the disease, he said.  He pointed out that these diseases know no 
borders and highlighted his cooperation with the health ministers of 
bordering Bolivia and Paraguay to undertake joint actions. 
 
Assistance request to set up national cancer institute 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
¶5.  Manzur stressed that uterine and breast cancer in young women in 
poor areas is a serious problem in Argentina, one that could be 
mitigated with better education and screening.  He recalled his 
excellent meeting with the Director of the National Cancer Institute 
in Washington in late September and shared with the Ambassador his 
plan to set up a national cancer institute in Argentina.  He noted 
that President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner fully supports this 
initiative.  He asked for the Ambassador's help in obtaining NCI's 
assistance to set up this cancer institute.  He pointed out that 
NCI's experience in public awareness and screening campaigns would 
be invaluable to Argentina.  Manzur also inquired whether the 
Ambassador could assist with an invitation to HHS Secretary Kathleen 
Sebelius to come to Buenos Aires for the inauguration of the 
national cancer institute, expected for March 2010.  The Ambassador 
pledged her assistance on both counts. 
 
¶6.  ACTION REQUEST:  Post requests Department's assistance in 
contacting NCI and HHS to follow up on Health Minister Manzur's 
requests. 
 
MARTINEZ