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

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 001025 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
USDA FOR FAS/OA, FAS/DLP, FAS/ICD AND FAS/ITP 
USDA FOR APHIS 
USDA FOR WAYNE MOLSTAD/OSEC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TBIO KFLU EAID AMED EAGR NI AVIANFLU
SUBJECT: MAY 5 NIGERIA AVIAN FLU UPDATE 
 
REF:  ABUJA 931 
 
¶1. Summary.  Nigeria's human- and animal-surveillance 
systems for AI remain deficient.  No human cases of H5N1 
infection have been confirmed in Nigeria.  Villagers in Dong 
Village, Plateau State ate in early April culled or AI- 
infected birds but don't exhibit symptoms of AI.  Plateau 
State has exhausted its funds for active surveillance, and 
no surveillance or rapid-response team is in place there. 
An MOA official said of compensation to farmers that they 
will be paid "when the time comes."  An MOH official 
observed that some Nigerians believe that because they are 
so "challenged" by disease and their environment, survivors 
are immune to AI.  An MOA official said that, for unknown 
reasons, the Vom laboratory is providing test results from 
bird samples only slowly.  Kano State has Nigeria's highest 
number of AI outbreaks but has provided the smallest number 
of bird samples for testing.  Bauchi State veterinarians 
were not "empowered" to carry out their duties.  End 
summary. 
 
¶2. Economic officer attended on May 3 the meeting of the 
Government of Nigeria (GON) avian influenza (AI) technical 
group.  No reported human cases of H5N1 infection have been 
confirmed in Nigeria.  The Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) 
reported that Nigeria's last outbreak of AI occurred in 
Bauchi State on the Bala integrated farm, where the outbreak 
became evident on April 18 and was confirmed April 20.  Of 
the farm's 16,228 birds, 1,412 died, and the remainder were 
culled.  The farm was decontaminated. 
 
Kaduna State Mortality Study 
---------------------------- 
 
¶3. The Ministry of Health (MOH) carried out a community- 
based mortality survey in Kaduna State on April 28-May 1 to 
identify human AI cases not identified by a deficient 
surveillance system.  The MOH examined deaths that occurred 
from Dec. 1, 2005 to May 1, 2006 in communities with 
reported AI outbreaks in animals, and it randomly selected 
six such communities from the 13 in Kaduna with confirmed 
poultry outbreaks.  In this period, 13 deaths occurred among 
452 persons who lived in a total of 103 households.  Five of 
these deaths occurred among children aged four or younger; 
only one of the dead persons lived to age 65.  One of the 
dead, a two-year old girl, died of an "influenza-like 
illness" and had a history of contact with dead backyard 
poultry.  Authorities are considering requesting her body be 
exhumed for an autopsy.  The MOH concluded that the survey 
"points at the possibility" of missed human cases of H5N1 
not picked up by existing surveillance.  The study also 
urged period mortality surveys be conducted, the 
strengthening of existing active and passive surveillance 
for human AI, and the start of AI sentinel surveillance 
using hospital facilities as sentinel sites. 
 
Plateau villagers eat infected birds, but no human cases 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
¶4. An MOH team went to Plateau State on April 27-28 
following reports that persons in Dong village had eaten in 
early April either culled or AI-infected birds.  There were 
conflicting reports on whether the birds were buried, 
although without quicklime, or simply heaped up.  Dong has 
about 3,000 extended-family members, and about 31 of its 
households were "exposed" to the dumping site of the dead 
chickens.  The MOH team surveyed 21 randomly selected 
households of the 31 and found that "all the villagers were 
scrambling for culled birds" and "almost all" of the 
villagers ate dead chickens, which were raised about 2 km 
away.  Police accompanying the vehicle transporting the dead 
birds to Dong also asked the villagers to cook some of these 
birds for them.  The team carried out a survey of possible 
human AI cases in Dong and delivered 20 doses of Tamiflu to 
Plateau State.  None of the Dong villagers have exhibited 
symptoms of AI.  The funds available to Plateau State to 
carry out active surveillance have been exhausted, and no 
surveillance or rapid-response team is in place in Plateau 
State.  An MOH team member who visited Dong appealed for the 
GON to pay compensation to owners of culled birds.  An MOA 
official replied only that farmers would be paid "when the 
time comes." 
 
¶5. An MOH official observed that some Nigerians believe that 
because they are so "challenged" by disease and their 
environment, those who have not succumbed to other illnesses 
are immune to AI.  He added that villagers even have eaten 
culled birds that were burned using gasoline.  An MOA 
official said this demonstrated the need for education on AI 
for "country people" and farmers, who must be shown how to 
dispose of all dead birds, because these persons 
historically eat birds that die of disease.  An MOA official 
said that, for unknown reasons, the Vom laboratory is 
providing test results from bird samples only slowly. 
 
Information on Kano State outbreaks 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶6. The GON reported April 26 that some farmers in Kano State 
whose farms were culled and decontaminated had restocked 
their farms without approval, and without waiting the 
necessary interval to do so safely.  Kano, Bauchi, and 
Kaduna States, and to some extent Plateau State, have active 
new outbreaks on farms that had previous outbreaks.  Because 
Kano State has Nigeria's highest number of AI outbreaks but 
has provided the smallest number of bird samples, Kano State 
veterinarians now will send for testing samples from every 
outbreak.  The government also noted that Kano is not 
enforcing sufficiently restrictions on the movement of 
poultry and poultry products.  The federal government 
reported that Bauchi State veterinarians were not 
"empowered" to carry out their duties. 
CAMPBELL