R 231453Z OCT 08
FM AMEMBASSY GABORONE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 5333
INFO SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS GABORONE 000932 
 
 
DEPT FOR OES/PCI, OES/FO, OES/ENV, OES/IHA 
DEPT FOR AF/S, AF/EPS AND EB 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KHIV TBIO ECON EAID SOCI BC
SUBJECT: AU-IBAR HOSTS REGIONAL AVIAN INFLUENZA WORKSHOP 
 
¶1. Summary: The African Union's Inter-Bureau for Animal Resources 
(AU-IBAR) hosted October 2-4 in Gaborone an Avian Influenza (AI) 
technical workshop for Southern Africa officials from the Ministries 
of Agriculture and Health, the World Health Organization 
(WHO), the World Animal Health Organization (OIE), the European 
Union (EU), and other donors, including USAID.  AU-IBAR said it has 
budgeted USD 22.2 million for regional AI activities, Southern 
African governments should allocate more of their own resources to 
combating the disease.  Dr. Bonaventure Mtei from the OIE-hosted 
Regional Animal Health Center (RAHC) highlighted its collaboration 
with the UN's Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and AU-IBAR 
to address animal health in Southern Africa, and expectations of 
closer cooperation with the WHO.  USAID explained U.S. government 
(USG) interventions in the region and the WHO and OIE stressed the 
importance of preparedness and information sharing.  Other issues 
raised included; a) HPAI communication at national and regional 
levels; b) HPAI  outbreak management and control, and emergency 
response; d) AI surveillance of wild birds in Sothern Africa; and g) 
HPAI diagnostic capacity, networks, procedures and gaps.  Closing 
recommendations included a call to SADC members for continued and 
enhanced coordination between AU-IBAR's SPINAP initiative and 
existing programming support; technical assistance; and/or funding 
from USAID, the World Bank, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (CDC), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). 
End Summary 
 
The Workshop 
------------ 
 
¶2. The African Union's Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources 
(AU-IBAR) hosted October 2-4 at the Big Five Lodge in Gaborone an 
Avian Influenza (AI) technical workshop for Southern Africa. 
Attendees included Ministries of Health (MOH) and Agricultural 
officials and National AI Coordinators from almost every member of 
the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) except South 
Africa, as well as from the WHO, the OIE, the EU and other 
cooperation partners, such as USAID's Regional AI Coordinator.  The 
overall aim of this and other AI technical workshops sponsored by 
AU-IBAR is to improve regional coordination of the implementation of 
the EU-funded Support Program for Integrated National Action Plans 
for Avian and Human Influenza (SPINAP-AHI) by bringing the key 
actors together to share ideas and knowledge, and harmonize their 
understanding of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) strategies 
for their effective application at national level.  In addition, 
SPINAP-AHI organized this meeting in close collaboration with the 
regional economic communities to: a) have the gathering coincide 
with the signing of some of the funding agreements with AU-IBAR; and 
b) to give the countries a clear understanding of the best way to 
utilize the funds provided by the program. 
 
Role and Views of AU-IBAR 
------------------------- 
 
¶3. In his welcoming remarks, AU-IBAR Acting Director Dr. Ahmed El 
Sawahly thanked Botswana for hosting the event and the attending 
nations for their commitment to, and efforts on AI pandemic 
preparedness, and donors for their technical and financial support. 
In addition to explaining the history and role of AU-IBAR, which was 
created in 1951 to deal with animal disease threats, El Sawahly said 
his organization has a major role to play in tackling transboundary 
zoonotic diseases.  He noted that HPAI is now affecting 61 countries 
and thus remains a serious global threat.  He admonished that while 
AU-IBAR has budgeted USD 22.2 million for regional AI activities, 
Southern African governments should allocate more of their own 
resources to combating the disease.  AI could only be controlled by 
a regional, coordinated approach, he warned, and it would take just 
one uncooperative country to cause a weak link in the system. 
 
¶4. El Sawahly then explained the SPINAP funding and application 
processes.  He revealed that nine countries had signed agreements 
(two in Southern Africa) and 19 accords are pending, six of which 
are from Southern Africa.  SPINAP is in the process of releasing 
funds to finance emergency preparedness against HPAI in eligible 
African, and Asian, Caribbean and Pacific (Africa ACP) countries. 
Funding for countries is based on applications derived from their 
SPINAP Emergency Preparedness Request (EPR) plans submitted to 
AU-IBAR.    El Sawahly noted that an assessment of received 
applications, and feedback from inception workshops indicate 
significant disparities in technical capacities and their 
formulation of AI interventions.  Among the key areas of interest 
expressed by applicants are cross-border coordination and 
harmonization of interventions.  He added that there were also 
varying interpretations and applications of available strategies to 
combat AI, further demonstrating a need to discuss them in order to 
reach a common understanding on their effective application. 
 
¶5. In a second AU-IBAR intervention, Dr. Baboucarr Jaw discussed the 
importance of regional networks for HPAI and other telephone-based 
disease surveillance (TBDS), as well as information sharing.  He 
stressed that regional networking offered the opportunity to enhance 
the capacity of national veterinary services and to negotiate 
capacity thresholds in standards-setting fora.  Jaw lamented the 
lack of clarity in reporting responsibilities, with some countries 
only reporting to SADC and the OIE, but not the AU-IBAR.  He allowed 
that disease reporting mechanisms are clearly defined, but adherence 
mechanisms remain weak.  He acknowledged the economic consequences 
due to reported outbreaks, but noted that some countries do regular 
reporting.  He opined that informed planning and decision making are 
the keys to success. Finally, he urged all countries to make use of 
the Livestock Information Management Systems (LIMS). 
 
OIE AND SADC 
------------ 
 
¶6. Dr. Bonaventure Mtei of OIE, which hosts the Regional Animal 
Health Center (RAHC) based in Gaborone, a joint center with FAO and 
AU-IBAR, discussed the coordination of HPAI prevention and control 
interventions, challenges, and best practices.  He highlighted 
RAHC's collaboration with the UN's Food and Agricultural 
Organization (FAO) and AU-IBAR to address animal health in Southern 
Africa, and expectations of closer cooperation with the WHO.  Mtei 
said countries need to assess the capacity of their veterinary 
services, using OIE criteria, but did note that most of SADC members 
already comply.  In addition, governments should use the opportunity 
of heightened animal health awareness and no immediate AI outbreaks 
to eradicate other animal diseases such as Newcastle.   In his 
remarks Mr. Beedee Hulman from the SADC Secretariat thanked members 
for their cooperation on AI and AU-IBAR for hosting their third 
workshop in 2008. (Note: The first, for Eastern Africa, took place 
July 29-31, 2008 in Kampala, Uganda, and the second one, for Western 
Africa, took place August 19-21 in Bamako, Mali 2008. End Note).  He 
echoed El Sawahly's warning about the continuing threat of AI and 
noted the importance of vigilance and preparedness.  Hulman also 
described the activities of SADC's Joint Technical Committee, 
established to enhance AI preparedness.  The Committee, which has 
received funding support from the Belgian government, USAID through 
FAO, OIE, and others, has already met three times. 
 
The GOB's View 
-------------- 
 
¶7. The MOA's newly-appointed Director of Veterinary Health Services 
Dr. Moetapele Letshwenyo also thanked AU-IBAR for its assistance, 
which he said was very important to Botswana's AI preparedness 
efforts.  He expressed the National AI Coordinators in attendance 
would gain a better understanding of AI preparedness and the SPINAP 
program from the 3-day workshop.  He concluded by noting that there 
is no room for complacency and surveillance remains critical.  The 
GTZ representative (Germany) opined that the workshop would 
hopefully facilitate greater intersectoral integration of AI 
preparedness, harmonize countries' understanding of the SPINAP 
program (which is important given the imminence of project 
implementation), and improve coordination on surveillance and 
communication. 
 
USAID's Role 
------------ 
 
¶8. USAID's Kimberly Crunkleton explained the USG's AI program in 
Southern Africa, which is largely managed by USAID, in collaboration 
with the U.S. CDC and Department of Agriculture (USDA).  Key 
partners include the FAO's RAHC, AI.COMM, Stop AI, WHO/AFRO, CDC, 
the Naval Medical Research Unit (NAMRU), the Global Avian Influenza 
Network for Surveillance (GAINS), AI Deliverance, the UN Pandemic 
Influenza Contingency (UN-PIC), and the International Livestock 
Research Institute (ILRI).  She said USAID's strategic approach to 
AI preparedness aims to build on existing platforms using a 
two-track approach, namely regional and national programs.  Key 
objectives of both programs are to: a) Build on already existing 
platforms and capabilities; b) Focus on activities that could 
contribute immediately to the detection and containment of HPAI in 
animal and human populations (e.g., preparedness planning, 
surveillance and detection); c) Promote well-coordinated and 
integrated response covering animal and human infection; d) Enhance 
and share sub-regional technical capabilities and expertise, with a 
focus on those areas of most immediate vulnerability.  Ms. 
Crunkleton also highlighted past USAID South Africa assistance 
focused on regional activities such as: i) 
staffing/preparedness/coordination (USD 63,000; part-time 
coordinator and sub-regional coordination workshop); ii) 
surveillance and detection (USD 132,000; AI specimen testing costs 
and field surveillance training course); iii) response and 
containment (in-kind; 100 PPE kits and other outbreak investigation 
commodities); and iv) communications (USD 23,000; information 
posters in newspapers for farmers, distribution of AI education 
kits, facilitating a Voice of America journalist workshop). USAID 
regional funding for avian influenza programming in the SADC region 
totals $3million for 2007-2009. 
 
Other Interventions 
------------------- 
 
¶9. ILRI's Dr. Christine Jost discussed "risk-targeted active 
surveillance as an essential component of veterinary services in 
Southern Africa." She praised the usefulness of risk mapping as a 
tool for targeting HPAI surveillance.  She said ILRI wants to 
increase regional cooperation, and, like the FAO, is focusing on 
Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe.  The Zambian National 
Coordinator related his country's experience in undertaking a 
USAID-funded desk-top exercise and the lessons learned from it. 
Other interventions included: a) Strategies to improve HPAI 
communication at national and regional levels; b) HPAI outbreak 
management and control alternatives in poultry populations; c) From 
HPAI preparedness to outbreak management: Experience from Ghana; d) 
HPAI outbreak management and control in Egypt: the lessons learned; 
e) HPAI emergency response and communication; f) AI Surveillance of 
wild birds in Sothern Africa; and g) HPAI Diagnostic Capacity, 
Networks, Procedures and Gaps. 
 
Next Steps 
---------- 
 
¶10. Closing recommendations to the workshop included a call from all 
SADC member states for continued and enhanced coordination between 
AU-IBAR's SPINAP initiative and existing programming support, 
technical assistance and, or funding from, inter alia, USAID, the 
World Bank, CDC, and the USDA. Participants also recommended that 
AU-IBAR enhance its linkages with the public health capacities 
already established within the African Union itself, the WHO, CDC, 
and others.  A final recommendation called for countries to expedite 
the signing of memoranda of understanding between AU IBAR and SADC 
countries so that funding could be released as soon as possible to 
allow project activities can to begin. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶11. Given the clear and present danger of other diseases that are 
ravaging sub-Saharan Africa, the distant threat of an AI outbreak 
and possible devastating pandemic has bred paralyzing complacency in 
many countries.  So it is extremely encouraging to see not only the 
AU and SADC beating the drums of AI pandemic preparedness so loudly, 
but more importantly, to witness SADC countries slowly begin to heed 
the warnings and answering the call to action.  Progress is slow but 
encouraging.  All SADC countries, except South Africa, are expected 
to receive one-time funding in the range of USD 200-400,000; and 
most of these nations should have funds released to them by December 
¶2008. This financial stimulus ought to quicken the pace of AI 
preparedness activities. 
 
 
Nolan