VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHAM #2326/01 0891715
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 301715Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY AMMAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9293
INFO RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHDC
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC
RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 0865
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 0412
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 0109
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 4122
RUEHDM/AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS 3260
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 2307
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM 3821
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT 2369
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH 1553
RUEHJI/AMCONSUL JEDDAH 0699
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 1369
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0492

UNCLAS AMMAN 002326 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PASS USAID FOR GLOBAL HEALTH/K HILL, 
DCARROLL 
USDA FOR APHIS 
STATE FOR M/MED DASHO DR. TRIPLET 
GENEVA FOR WHO REPRESENTATIVE 
ROME PASS US MISSION FAO 
OES FOR SINGER, DALEY 
NEA FOR RA/LAWSON 
STATE FOR CA/OCS/ACS/NESA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TBIO CASC KFLU JO
SUBJECT: Jordan/H5N1: Government to Compensate for Culled 
Flocks 
 
REF: Amman 2176 
 
¶1.  Summary: As of 1630 local time on March 30, there have 
been no new cases of H5N1 avian influenza in Jordan since 
the original cases first reported on March 24.  GOJ 
officials feel they have the situation under control.  On 
March 28, the GOJ announced that it will compensate farmers 
in the Kufranjeh/Ajloun area for poultry culled by 
authorities on the farms that were within the six kilometer 
radius of the confirmed cases (reftel).  Details on the 
compensation plan have not been announced.  The GOJ has also 
decided to destroy a controversial shipment of minced turkey 
from Israel despite the inspection results that proved that 
there are no health hazards.  According to the GOJ 
spokesman, destroying the shipment aims at eliminating 
public panic.  Post plans to hold additional "Town Hall" 
meetings on AI on April 6.  End summary. 
 
------------------------------------ 
Intensive Monitoring Ongoing at Site 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶2.  Dr. Faris Al-Bakhit, Veterinary Director at the Ministry 
of Agriculture (MOA) told FAS FSN that the MOA is closely 
monitoring the Kufranjeh/Ajloun area, where the confirmed 
cases were found.  He said that the MOA considers three days 
without further cases as a critical period but that thirty 
days must pass before they consider the outbreak completely 
stamped out.  He said veterinary authorities have inspected 
a 10 kilometer radius and no further H5N1 cases have been 
found.  The MOA has culled 12,714 commercial poultry and 
7,364 domestic and wild birds.  Dr. Al-Bakhit noted that all 
updates and procedures will be discussed in the regional OIE 
conference in Beirut on April 6-7.  Post understands that 
Cairo-based USDA/APHIS officials will attend that meeting. 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
Surveillance Continuing; Media Plan Imminent 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  Embassy contacts and press reports note that careful, 
active monitoring is underway elsewhere around Jordan as 
well.  Dr. Ali As'ad, Secretary General for Technical 
Affairs at the Ministry of Health (MOH), told AID FSN that 
MOH is expanding surveillance, especially at farms.   Teams 
from the Royal Medical Services, MOA and MOH are performing 
active surveillance, with samples being taken for testing. 
Dr. As'ad said the GOJ's media plan is almost ready to 
launch.  The MOH has requested funding for this plan, but 
funding has not yet been approved.  The media plan is being 
implemented under a USAID project on health communication 
that was already in place with Johns Hopkins University and 
the Ministry of Health. 
 
-------------------------------- 
Government to Compensate Farmers 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  To date, the GOJ has committed only to compensate 
farmers for the birds that were culled by GOJ authorities 
from the farms within six kilometers of the confirmed cases, 
as announced on March 28 by Minister of Agriculture Akef Al- 
Zubi.  Also on March 28, Minister of Industry and Trade 
Sharif Zu'bi (no relation to the Minister of Agriculture) 
said that the Cabinet has formed a committee to look into a 
mechanism that would compensate poultry farmers for losses 
from bird flu.  This mechanism would have a wider scope than 
 
the approved compensation for the Kufranjeh culling, but the 
topic is still being discussed within the GOJ and no further 
details are available. 
 
---------------------------------------- 
Regional Coordination Meeting - March 27 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  On March 27, GOJ officials met with their Israeli 
counterparts at the Allenby Bridge to exchange information 
on avian flu.  FAS FSN was told that the two sides discussed 
and evaluated their respective responses to the outbreaks. 
Participants from the Palestinian Authority were apparently 
invited but were unable to attend.  MOH Secretary General 
As'ad told AID FSN on March 29 that the Jordanian and 
Israeli parties expressed concern that the lack of 
compensation plans for culling poultry in Gaza  threatens 
both Israel and Jordan with continuing outbreaks.  The 
parties agreed to continue sharing information on AI in a 
transparent fashion. 
 
--------------------------------------------- - 
AI in the Media - Calls to Save Poultry Sector 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶6.  Arabic daily Ad-Dustour reported that the price of 
chicken has fallen as low as $0.70 per kilo, and that demand 
for poultry has dropped by 90%.  (Note: Government 
statistics agencies are not able to measure real-time demand 
for fresh poultry.  Domestic poultry production figures are 
published on a 3-4 month lag time. End Note.)  In a 
statement to Ad-Dustour, Restaurant Owners Association 
President Raed Hamada said bird flu in Jordan has led to a 
50% drop in restaurant sales.  He urged the government to 
exempt restaurant owners from sales taxes and interest on 
bank loans so that restaurants will be able to meet their 
obligations to their workers. 
 
¶7.  Arabic daily Al-Rai reported that between February and 
March, the prices of local, imported, and frozen meat have 
gone up by 5%, the price of fish has gone up by 9%, and the 
price of eggs decreased by 20%. The report refers to a study 
conducted by the Control and Quality Department at the 
Ministry of Industry and Trade, which compared changes in 
the prices of 54 commodities between last month and this 
month. 
 
---------------------------- 
Poultry Farmers Stage Sit-In 
---------------------------- 
 
¶8.  Arabic Al-Arab Al-Yawm reported that the lack of 
sufficient information in the public domain on avian flu is 
causing public anxiety.  Al-Arab Al-Yawm reported that a 
number of medical specialists confirmed that eating cooked 
poultry meat and eggs cannot transfer the virus to humans. 
Dailies also reported that poultry farmers and farm owners 
staged a sit-in March 27 at the Ministry of Interior, 
demanding the government find ways to market and sell their 
poultry.  The dailies also reported that commercial poultry 
de-feathering centers in Amman governorate have closed down, 
and that slaughterhouses there have refused to receive live 
chickens. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
Ajloun Governor to Re-Open All Chicken Processing in Ajloun 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
 
¶9.  According to Al-Arab Al-Yawm, Ajloun Governor Ahmad 
Shiyab authorized the re-opening of chicken processing in 
his governorate after he received confirmation from 
authorities that there are no new bird flu cases.  Shiyab 
noted that the precautionary measures taken by authorities 
helped control the outbreak.  Shiyab met with poultry farm 
owners in Ajloun, who complained to him about the losses 
they have suffered.  He responded that the culling of the 
birds in their farms and other precautionary measures were 
critical to control the spread of H5N1 disease and to 
safeguard their health and that of all citizens. 
 
--------------------------- 
Embassy Town Hall Scheduled 
--------------------------- 
 
¶10.  Post will have additional "Town Hall" meetings on April 
6 as recommended in Post's Avian Flu Trip Wires Plan to 
update and educate Embassy staff on the current avian flu 
situation.  A large-scale Embassy event for the American 
community is also being planned, as are further public 
diplomacy events on avian influenza. 
 
HALE