Cablegate: Vietnam: Avian Influenza Assistance Needs

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

041110Z Mar 05

ACTION EAP-00

INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AID-00 CA-00 CEA-01 CIAE-00 COME-00
CTME-00 INL-00 ITCE-00 DOTE-00 EB-00 EXME-00 E-00
FAAE-00 FBIE-00 UTED-00 VC-00 FRB-00 HHS-01 TEDE-00
INR-00 VCE-00 MOFM-00 MOF-00 AC-00 NSAE-00 NSCE-00
OES-00 OMB-00 NIMA-00 CAEX-00 ACE-00 CFPP-00 SP-00
IRM-00 STR-00 TRSE-00 FMP-00 BBG-00 IIP-00 DRL-00
G-00 NFAT-00 SAS-00 /002W
------------------C35910 041121Z /38
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6858
INFO AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY BANGKOK
AMEMBASSY BEIJING
AMEMBASSY PHNOM PENH
AMEMBASSY VIENTIANE
USDA WASHDC
SECDEF WASHDC

UNCLAS HANOI 000537

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV, OES, E AND G

STATE PASS USAID-WALTER NORTH, DAA

STATE PASS HHS FOR OGHA/STEIGER

BANGKOK FOR USAID-TIM BEANS

USDA FOR APHIS ADMINISTRATOR DEHAVEN AND DR. JOSEPH
ANNELLI, APHIS

DOD FOR OSD/ISA/AP FOR LEW STERN

FROM THE AMBASSADOR

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID ECON VM ESCI
SUBJECT: VIETNAM: AVIAN INFLUENZA ASSISTANCE NEEDS

REF: A) Hanoi 467 B) Hanoi 502

1. (SBU) Post has been sending the Department regular
reporting cables (Ref A) on the avian influenza (AI)
situation in Vietnam. While life is normal on the
streets of Vietnam, should the increasingly pessimistic
forecasts of the World Health Organization come true,
Vietnam and her neighboring countries could face a
significant pandemic with a staggering loss of life.

2. (SBU) The Embassy has already taken a number of
planning steps. An interagency working group is
tracking the situation. HHS staff has been involved
with the rest of the international health community and
attended and reported on the AI meeting in Ho Chi Minh
City last week (Ref B). Work on an Embassy action plan
has already begun in case the current outbreak starts
shifting towards a pandemic. In short, the situation
here is calm, and the Embassy is doing what it should.
As the World Health Organization points out, though,
there is the potential of a significant disaster.

3. (SBU) With that in mind, we would urge that agencies
in Washington have this as high on their individual
list of priorities as we do. Since policy level
interagency discussions are undoubtedly underway in
Washington, we would appreciate receiving an update on
those meetings. It would be useful for those
discussions also to include an early consensus on what
our respective agencies should do now to help prevent
the current situation from becoming an epidemic.

4. (SBU) In Vietnam, both the Ministry of Agriculture
and Rural Development (MARD) and the Ministry of Health
(MOH) are doing what they can with limited resources.
What they now require more of are veterinarians,
technicians and laboratory equipment. These are needed
to improve quickly the reach and quality of the
agricultural surveillance systems and the supporting
laboratory testing capacity. FAO is coordinating
support to MARD while WHO is assisting MOH. Other
countries here are already beginning to work to
coordinate assistance.

5. (SBU) On February 21, MARD submitted through FAO to
the donors a list of requests for specific types of
assistance. This list includes a trust fund for in-
kind donations as well as a call for various experts to
assist in country in areas such as prevention and
detection and poultry industry restructuring. Post is
transmitting the MARD request through FAO to EAP/BCLTV.
MOH has not yet submitted a specific list to WHO and
the donors. Nonetheless, HHS has already been
providing support. Additional U.S. support from other
agencies coordinated through the country team would be
welcome, appreciated and useful.

MARINE

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