VZCZCXRO5395
OO RUEHDU RUEHGI RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHPA
DE RUEHUJA #0517/01 0611525
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 021525Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY ABUJA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4786
INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHDC
RHFMISS/CDR USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUEHRO/USMISSION UN ROME 0050
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 02 ABUJA 000517 
 
SIPDIS 
 
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: MARCH 2 NIGERIA AVIAN FLU UPDATE 
 
REF:  ABUJA 501 
¶1. Summary.  Bird-culling operations were carried out in 
Bauchi and Nasarawa States on Feb. 28.  A GON official said 
the government hoped to begin paying compensation for birds 
by March 3, or by March 5 at the latest, and that Nigeria 
would concentrate on compensation to commercial chicken 
farmers.  A GON official appeared to want to diminish 
expectations by saying compensation would not be 
compensation but rather a "relief measure."  Interstate 
commercial transport operators said no controls over 
movements of poultry were in place at major Lagos State 
border posts.  The Poultry Association of Nigeria organized 
southwestern rallies to boost the consumption of poultry 
products.  End summary. 
 
¶2. Economic officer and agricultural attache attended the 
March 1 steering committee meeting at the Government of 
Nigeria's (GON) Avian Influenza (AI) Crisis Management 
Center.  There was little new information, in large part 
because GON officials and foreign experts were attending the 
two-day workshop in Kaduna for state veterinary and health 
officials on strategies for controlling and managing AI. 
GON officials conceded the workshop was not reaching as many 
officials as hoped, because short notice had reduced 
attendance.  About 150 persons attended it.  A GON official 
said the 10,000 doses of Tamiflu provided by the World 
Health Organization had been distributed nationally. 
Nigeria would buy additional doses.  Bird-culling operations 
were carried out in Bauchi and Nasarawa States on Feb. 28. 
 
Compensation to be paid ... at some point 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. A GON official said Nigeria hoped to begin paying 
compensation for birds by March 3, or by March 5 at the 
latest. (Payments had been scheduled to start Feb. 28.) Cash 
should be ready for distribution on March 3.  Another GON 
official tried to diminish expectations by saying 
compensation was not compensation but rather was a "relief 
measure."  A UK official twice pushed the GON to move 
rapidly on compensating small and informal chicken farmers 
who lack documentation of the birds they own.  A GON 
official replied that Nigeria first would concentrate on 
commercial chicken farmers and "we pray we will not have to 
handle" the issue of backyard farmers. 
 
Prepare for bird inoculations? 
------------------------------ 
 
¶4. A European Union (EU) official said that if the GON 
wished to begin a campaign of bird inoculations, it should 
take into account the "at least" one-month delay for Nigeria 
to obtain the necessary vaccines and carry out sufficient 
planning.  A GON official said it would be good for Nigeria 
to have vaccinations "as a fallback position" while it 
continued culling operations.  Another GON official said 
equipping the country's laboratories is a higher priority 
than preparing for a vaccination campaign.  The EU official 
cautioned there is currently a heavy demand worldwide for 
bird vaccine and that Nigeria should consider immunizations 
"more urgently."  The World Health Organization's Nigeria 
representative urged the GON to spell out clearly its 
position on vaccination.  On a suggestion by an Information 
Ministry official, the health minister agreed it would be 
useful for National Immunization Day teams, which inoculate 
against polio and other diseases, to publicize at the same 
time simple messages about AI.  Meanwhile, Foreign 
Agricultural Service industry contacts reported that Poultry 
Association of Nigeria members were receiving vaccines 
ordered from overseas.  Presumably some commercial farmers 
intend to do their own vaccination. 
 
Southwest poultry farmers organize rallies 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶5. On Feb. 28, the Poultry Association of Nigeria 
(Southwest) and other persons involved in the poultry 
sector, in collaboration with Lagos State Ministry of 
Agriculture, held rallies in major cities and regional 
 
ABUJA 00000517  002 OF 002 
 
 
centers to boost the consumption of poultry products. 
Hundreds of youths wearing branded T-shirts and playing 
musical instruments moved around city centers in caravans. 
Prepared poultry products were distributed to by-standers at 
no charge during the event.  Vehicles in the caravan carried 
banners and posters with inscriptions such as "No Bird Flu 
in the Southwest" and "Chicken and Egg Consumption Healthy 
in the Southwest."  The national poultry association and 
local officials are planning several bird flu sensitization 
workshops throughout Lagos and in neighboring states. 
Visits to several Lagos fast-food outlets that serve chicken 
revealed lighter than usual customer traffic, but several 
operators reported a slight increase in the number of 
customers compared to two weeks ago. 
 
¶6. Interviews with interstate commercial transport operators 
at major Lagos State border posts found that no controls 
over movements of poultry were in place.  The agricultural 
attache delivered on March 1 to the UN Food and Agriculture 
Organization (FAO) 1:250,000-scale area maps of Nigeria 
provided by the defense attache's office.  The FAO and GON 
technical teams will use these maps for field operations. 
 
¶7. Meanwhile AP wire services reported that in the villages 
near Sambawa farm, site of the first confirmed outbreak, 
poultry was now dying off rapidly, but no veterinary 
officials had visited these villages, and the outbreaks had 
not been officially reported.  In meeting with the 
agriculture attache, Nigeria's chief veterinary officer 
indicated that the response was focused on commercial and 
semi-commercial farms and was not yet dealing with backyard 
poultry. 
CAMPBELL