VZCZCXRO0321
OO RUEHDU RUEHGI RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHPA
DE RUEHUJA #0480/01 0581710
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 271710Z FEB 06
FM AMEMBASSY ABUJA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4743
INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHDC
RHFMISS/CDR USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUEHRO/USMISSION UN ROME 0045
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC//USDP/ASD-HD//
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ABUJA 000480 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR OES NANCY POWELL 
USDA FOR FAS/OA, FAS/DLP, FAS/ICD AND FAS/ITP 
USDA ALSO FOR APHIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TBIO KFLU EAID AMED EAGR NI
SUBJECT: FEB 27 NIGERIA AVIAN FLU UPDATE 
 
REF:  ABUJA 449 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary.  On February 26, the GON confirmed the 
presence of AI in two more states, Yobe and Nasarawa. Though 
not confirmed, it is almost certainly in Jigawa.   Currently 
four states and the Federal Capital Territory have had 
samples confirmed H5N1 positive through the FAO laboratory 
in Rome (Bauchi, Kaduna, Kano, Plateau, and the Federal 
Capital Territory); two additional states have been 
confirmed by the Vom National Veterinary Research Institute 
as having Avian Influenza type A (Nasarawa and Yobe); and 
poultry die-offs have been reported and samples taken for 
testing from four additional northern states (Borno, Jigawa, 
Katsina, and Sokoto) and from four southern states (Ogun, 
Delta, Rivers, and Abia).  At the Feb. 24 briefing at 
Nigeria's AI Crisis Management Center, a CDC official said 
Nigeria's human-surveillance system likely is not currently 
strong enough to detect AI in humans.  The CDC, WHO, and GON 
met on Feb. 23 to formulate procedures to contend with human 
cases of AI.  The GON must decide soon whether to adopt a 
policy of bird immunizations.  A USAID official reiterated 
the need for the GON to adopt rapidly a policy on 
compensation for culled birds.  End summary. 
 
¶2. (U) At the Feb. 24 briefing at the Government of 
Nigeria's (GON) Avian Influenza (AI) Crisis Management 
Center, a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) official noted 
that Nigeria's existing human-surveillance system probably 
was not currently strong enough to detect AI in humans.  The 
CDC and other international partners are aiding the MOH to 
develop specific processes and procedures for improving 
surveillance and handling cases.  This information should be 
disseminated to the field this week, and the federal 
Ministry must follow up to ensure that the processes and 
procedures are implemented. 
 
¶3. (U) A World Health Organization (WHO) official said 5,000 
sets of personal protective equipment (PPE) are to be 
delivered to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) 
for use in animal health, and 2,500 more are being packed 
into kits.  A GON official said 1,355 PPEs were sent to the 
field on Feb. 23, with 300 of these going to Kano.  CDC said 
PPEs were disposable and technically designed for one-time 
use.  Portions of the equipment could be reused with 
appropriate decontamination procedures; gloves and masks 
cannot be reused. In addition to full PPEs, larger numbers 
of gloves and masks should be ordered.  An FAO official said 
it was difficult to get detailed price quotes for rapid, 
local purchases of equipment. 
 
Tamiflu and bird vaccinations 
------------------------------ 
 
¶4. (U) A CDC official explained there was not a strong 
justification for cullers to be given Tamiflu routinely, 
based on the experience of cullers in Asia.  Tamiflu, 
however, may be used on an exposed person if there has been 
significant exposure to infectious material from infected 
animals.  A USAID official indicated that cullers could 
receive, as a precaution, a seasonal human-influenza 
inoculation two weeks before beginning culling operations. 
Nigeria currently had no stock of human-influenza vaccine. 
 
¶5. (SBU) As of Feb. 26, processes and procedures developed 
by the CDC, WHO, and GON to treat human cases of AI, were 
ready for dissemination to the field.  The federal 
government will need to follow up to ensure that the 
processes and procedures are implemented at the state level. 
The MOH said the GON planned to increase its surveillance of 
humans and birds, and that the GON must decide soon whether 
to adopt a policy of bird immunizations.  A USAID official 
said the GON also must monitor wild birds.  Infected 
domestic birds apparently have passed AI to wild birds -- 
which threaten to spread AI back to domestic birds 
elsewhere.  The FAO is calling for bird vaccinations in 
Nigeria.  The USG is providing Nigeria with information 
about the advantages and drawbacks of bird vaccinations, but 
is not making a recommendation.  GON officials said they did 
not want to inoculate birds, if AI could be contained in 
 
ABUJA 00000480  002 OF 003 
 
 
Kano.  (Comment: This is a very worrying sign of denial 
about the seriousness of the AI situation.  AI is neither 
contained in Kano, nor confined to Kano.  End comment.) 
 
Compensation must precede bird culling 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (U) On Feb. 25 the government announced that culling was 
proceeding according to provisions in the animal disease 
control law.  A USAID official said Kano State alone had 
many kilometers' worth of infected birds, and that 
"hundreds" of culling teams would be needed to properly 
carry out culling operations there.  USG officials 
reiterated the need for the GON to rapidly adopt a concrete 
compensation policy for culled birds, especially as culling 
moved to smaller operations.  A WHO official said the GON AI 
Steering Committee decided on Feb. 24 that compensation will 
start to be "implemented" on Feb. 28.  A GON official said 
the agriculture minister decided Feb. 23 that the payment of 
compensation will begin in some northern states on Feb. 27. 
The MOH chair called for the FAO to provide by the end of 
Feb. 25 a written strategy on how to address AI.  The FAO, 
USAID, and the Pan-African Program for Control of Epizootics 
completed by Feb. 26, with the Ministry of Agriculture 
(MOA), an operational plan that has been presented to senior 
MOA officials. 
 
Other 
----- 
 
¶7. (U) Updates over the weekend indicated the following: 
Currently four states and the Federal Capital Territory have 
had samples confirmed H5N1 positive through the FAO 
laboratory in Rome (Bauchi, Kaduna, Kano, Plateau, and the 
Federal Capital Territory); two additional states have been 
confirmed by the Vom National Veterinary Research Institute, 
near Jos, as having Avian Influenza type A (Nasarawa and 
Yobe); and poultry die-offs have been reported and samples 
taken for testing from four additional northern states 
(Borno, Jigawa, Katsina, and Sokoto) and from four southern 
states (Ogun, Delta, Rivers, and Abia).  The MOH noted an 
unconfirmed report of "something" having appeared in Ilorin, 
west of Abuja.  Nigeria's AI Crisis Management Center 
reported Feb. 25 that samples from Zamfara State were 
mislabeled and were not actually from Zamfara, but were from 
the neighboring state of Katsina.  Thus, previously reported 
information from the GON indicating that samples from 
poultry die-offs from Zamfara were sent for testing was 
incorrect. 
 
-- (U) Channel TV in Lagos reported on Feb. 24 that 
villagers in Bauchi chased out officials charged with 
culling chickens infected by AI. 
 
-- (U) The Nigerian minister of agriculture and rural 
development signed into law on Feb. 23 the regulation 
restricting the movement of poultry and poultry products 
within Nigeria. 
 
-- (U) Veterinary-health, laboratory, and associated 
personnel will meet on Feb. 27 for a five-day training 
program at the Vom National Veterinary Research Institute. 
The training was organized by the Ministries of Health and 
Agriculture, the WHO, CDC, and FAO.  CDC laboratory 
personnel will be conducting the training.  The training 
will focus on laboratory methods and procedures for 
screening and diagnosing AI. 
 
-- (U) An FAO-led program on strategies for controlling and 
managing AI will be held in Kaduna, because of its central 
location, starting on Feb. 28.  Participants will include 
members of the Technical Coordination Committee of Experts 
for the Prevention and Control of Avian Influenza; and state 
directors of veterinary services, directors of public 
health, epidemiologists, and laboratory officers from 
Nigeria's 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.  A 
similar, longer event will be held in Kano in early March. 
 
 
ABUJA 00000480  003 OF 003 
 
 
¶8. (SBU) Comment: The frustration expressed at this meeting 
by officials of international organizations and the USG was 
noticeably higher than at the start of the week.  These 
officials pointed out that now is the time for action by GON 
officials.  Some Nigerian officials conceded that their 
government needs to do better, while other GON officials 
reacted defensively.  International experts, however, are 
basically unanimous that it only a matter of time until 
avian influenza affects all of Nigeria and its neighbors. 
End comment. 
 
CAMPBELL