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RHMFISS/CJTF HOA

C O N F I D E N T I A L ASMARA 000261 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
LONDON FOR AFRICA WATCHER 
PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 3/15/2016 
TAGS: AMGT CASC AMED AEMR EAGR EAID KSCA PREL ER
SUBJECT: ERITREA'S IMPROVED READINESS FOR AVIAN FLU 
 
REF: 05 ASMARA 1105 
 
CLASSIFIED BY:  AMB Scott H. DeLisi, for reasons 1.4 (b) 
and (d). 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Since December 2005, Eritrea has developed 
a response plan to Avian Flu.  Established recently, the 
National Avian Influenza Committee is an inter-ministry 
collaboration between the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry 
of Fisheries and the Ministry of Health.  The Committee 
aims to raise awareness, handle reports and conduct 
investigations. The Committee established a nationwide 
hotline, answered by the Office of the Director of Animal 
Health, to handle reports of dead or ill birds.  While they 
have fielded numerous calls, to date, there are no 
confirmed cases of bird flu in Eritrea although there has 
just been a WHO report suggesting that avian influenza may 
have now.  Post hopes to meet with WHO officials March 16 
to learn more about their findings.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (C) PolOff, MgtOff and FSN Nurse met with Dr. Ogbe 
Gebremichael the Animal Health Division Director of the 
Ministry of Agriculture to discuss Eritrea's plan for bird 
flu.  Initially the GSE built the response on banning the 
import of chickens, implying that this was sufficient. 
Since then, they have seen the light. According to Dr. 
Ogbe, the GSE was "caught off guard" and now with the 
spread in the region "people are terrorized."  Recognizing 
the huge role of migratory birds in the spreading of the 
influenza and Eritrea's large sea coast, the GSE with 
pressure from the technical experts within the Ministry of 
Agriculture now have a more comprehensive plan.  The plan 
is multi-tiered including awareness, identification, 
isolation and quarantine and destructions. 
 
¶3. (C) Yet even with a plan, the GSE resources are limited. 
In encountering reports of dead or ill birds, the Eritrean 
approach can be summed up by Dr. Ogbe's direction to a 
recent response to a report of an ill stork; "destroy and 
continue vigilence."  Presently analysis is limited to 
preliminary review and assessment of the presented 
symptoms.  While the Ministry of Agriculture staff has 
received training in technical analysis, they do not have 
the necessary equipment and supplies.  The Committee 
requested, and finally received, an emergency budget that 
will allow them to purchase vehicles and fuel as well as 
testing kits. For the past several months the Ministry of 
Agriculture has kept dead birds in a warehouse awaiting the 
testing kits that arrived a few days ago. The tests thus 
far have all been negative.  Furthermore the GSE has not 
secured the appropriate supplies for shipping samples to 
European labs. 
 
¶4. (C) The Committee began with organizing training for 
local government workers of the Health and Agriculture 
ministries.   This training will support efforts to get the 
word out to rural communities.   The GSE supplemented this 
training with a wide scale public awareness campaign 
through television, radio and print media highlighting the 
symptoms of bird flu and the newly establish, now 1 week 
old, hotline.  The Committee's emergency budget of 20,000 
USD will allow them to use ten additional vehicles and fuel 
and purchase supplies, such as the aforementioned testing 
kits. 
 
¶5. (C) Dr. Ogbe estimated that Eritreans keep nearly three 
million domestic chickens.  Should bird flu be identified, 
the GSE will conduct a large scale quarantine and 
destruction campaign.  The quarantine will relate not only 
to poultry but also to humans, preventing their travel as 
well.  The Ministry of Health ordered a small amount of 
Tamiflu.  The GSE plans to destroy any ill birds as well as 
those nearby.  Recognizing the social and economic cost to 
such a decision, the Committee approached the GSE to 
provide funds for compensation, however, no decision has 
yet been made. 
 
6) (C) Comment: The GSE's normal response might be to hide 
any findings of bird flu - just as it has so far minimized 
or ignored the serious impact of drought and food shortages 
on both the human and animal population of this country. 
Post believes, however, that given the social, food 
security, public health and agricultural issues they will 
be unable to keep such a finding a secret for long.  We 
have a good relationship with the Division of Animal Health 
and believe they would share findings with us.  We believe 
that the GSE might be reluctant to accept assistance 
directly from the US, however, it would likely welcome help 
especially if directed  through an intermediary such as the 
WHO or UNFOA.  End Comment. 
 
DeLisi