VZCZCXYZ0009
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHLGB #0269/01 0791149
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 201149Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY KIGALI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2546
INFO RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 0427
RUEAUSA/DEPARTMENT OF HHS WASHDC
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0230

UNCLAS KIGALI 000269 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AIDAC 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AID/AFR/DP FOR MHARVEY, HLIGHTFOOT, ASEN, BDUSZA 
AFR/EA FOR JBORNS, SMCCLURE, OCOLE 
EGAT/AG/AM FOR DSOROKO 
GH/HIDN FOR DCARROLL AND MTROSTLE 
ECA/PHA FORVAMIRTHANAYAGAM AND CDAVIS 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PHUM SOCI TBIO WHO RW
SUBJECT: RWANDA IMPLEMENTS MEASURES TO COMBAT THREAT OF 
AVIAN INFLUENZA 
 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1. With the recent outbreaks of Avian Influenza (AI) in 
Africa, Rwanda is moving forward in its preparedness to 
address the threat to both human and animal populations. 
The Government of Rwanda (GOR) has revitalized an inter- 
ministerial steering committee, originally formed in 
November 2005.  The inter-ministerial committee has drafted 
and budgeted a National Action Plan that merges and 
harmonizes the sectoral plans developed by the Ministries of 
Health and Agriculture. The initial budget for 
implementation of the action plan is about USD 500,000. 
 
¶2. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has committed 
approximately USD 10,000 to hire local consultants to assist 
the GOR in finalizing the National Plan.  FAO is also 
planning on hiring an international consultant to work in 
close collaboration with the local team and the GOR to 
ensure incorporation of global best practices and lessons 
learned.  The GOR is also establishing a framework for donor 
coordination under which interested parties can provide 
support.  In the meantime, USAID is continuing to engage 
with GOR and other key partners to ensure efficient and 
effective efforts. 
 
¶3. A USG team met with the Minister of State (MoS) for 
HIV/AIDS and Other Epidemics on March 7 to discuss the GOR's 
plan regarding the AI threat in the region.  The MoS 
explained that the GOR has undertaken several initiatives, 
including imposition of a ban on import of poultry products, 
preparation of a National Action Plan, and appointment of an 
inter-ministerial steering committee chaired by the Rwanda 
Animal Resources Development Authority (RARDA). 
 
---------------------- 
GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES 
---------------------- 
 
¶4. The new inter-ministerial committee, originally formed in 
November 2005, is headed by the Director of the RARDA and 
comprised of the Ministry of Health (MINISANTE), the 
Ministry of Agriculture (MINAGRI), the Ministry of Commerce 
(MINICOM), Ministry of Land and Environment (MINITERE), the 
Rwanda Bureau of Standards (RBS), the Rwandan Tourism Agency 
(ORTPN), and the Rwandan Revenue Authority (RRA).  At its 
most recent meeting on March 10, the committee reviewed the 
National Action Plan, in coordination with FAO consultants, 
and each ministry appointed a focal point for AI.  The plan 
should be finalized shortly. 
 
 
¶5. The GOR has some modest measures already in place to 
address the AI threat, including a ban on importation of day- 
old chickens (since June 2005) and poultry (since December 
2005), surveillance/inspection staff at borders and control 
points, and development of awareness-raising pamphlets in 
the local Kinyarwanda language.  Additional funds are 
required to reproduce and distribute these pamphlets.  As 
part of the GOR's ongoing public outreach efforts, the head 
of the inter-ministerial committee provided an interview to 
Radio Rwanda to inform the public about precautionary 
measures and reporting procedures for suspicious birds.  The 
30-minute interview was broadcast nationwide on March 14 
during prime-time listening hours following the evening 
news.  This awareness-raising effort will be complemented by 
public service announcements by a famous radio personality 
in the coming weeks. As only 47% of the population has 
access to radio, additional awareness efforts will be 
required. These immediate measures offer short-term 
solutions while the National Plan is being finalized to 
guide a comprehensive and coordinated set of actions. 
 
-------------------------------------- 
U.S. MISSION ACTIVITIES RELATED TO AI 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. USAID coordinated a field visit with RARDA to assess on- 
the-ground activities.  The USAID AI core team visited the 
Northern Province on March 10 as it shares an important 
international border with Uganda and has one of the highest 
concentrations of poultry farms in Rwanda.  The veterinarian 
 
 
posted at the Rwandan-Ugandan border at Gatuna confirmed the 
ban on importation of chickens and poultry products and the 
collaboration with local authorities, including local police 
forces as well as customs and immigration officials, to 
reinforce this ban.  However, he acknowledged his inability 
to inspect every container and speculated that frozen 
chickens were being smuggled across the border into Rwanda 
under loads of frozen fish or other produce.  He noted that 
cross-border activities are extremely difficult to control 
because of the porous border and proximity of established 
communities on the border. 
 
¶7. Community sensitization efforts are also under way with 
talks being held with local groups and newly elected local 
leaders.  While in the Northern Province, the USAID team 
took the opportunity to meet with the Bishop of Byumba to 
engage the church to raise awareness among the large 
Catholic population.  The team updated the Bishop on 
outbreaks in the region, the potential risks of an outbreak 
in Rwanda, basic precautionary measures to disseminate to 
congregations and other church groups, and reporting 
measures established by the GOR. The Catholic Church 
supports various initiatives, including raising chicken, and 
has access to a large sector of the population.  Given the 
fellowship of over 60 percent of the country's population, 
the Church could be instrumental in facilitating the 
government's awareness campaign. 
 
¶8. The Embassy Health Unit has procured Personal Protective 
Equipment (PPE) for health care workers (HCWS) working in 
DOS settings and for ICASS-eligible American employees and 
their dependents who provide home care for the ill. 
Moreover, the Embassy Management Unit has disseminated 
management notices in English and Kinyarwanda, providing 
general information on AI as well as emergency preparedness 
advice.  Additionally, the Health Unit and USAID gave 
presentations and distributed pamphlets on AI at the monthly 
American community Town Hall meeting.  Attendees were urged 
to disseminate the information to household staff, 
neighbors, and local colleagues. 
 
¶9.  The GOR, in collaboration with donors, is finalizing the 
National Plan and identifying priority activities for an 
effective response to both the animal and human aspects of 
the AI threat.  USAID is closely monitoring the situation 
and working with other donors such as the FAO.  Moreover, 
USAID, CDC, and the Embassy are working closely to leverage 
CDC's regional activities for emergency measures and USAID 
programs for in-country preparedness, and to mobilize the 
highest level of the GOR.  This coordinated USG response 
maximizes the comparative advantages of each agency to 
maximize the support provided to the GOR in responding to 
the AI threat. 
 
¶10. The USAID Mission has requested the support of David 
Soroko from USAID/Washington's Bureau for Economic Growth, 
Agriculture, and Trade (EGAT) to assist in the strategic 
planning and to assess other donors' initiatives and 
determine how they can be complemented to optimize the use 
of limited resources and to put in place a comprehensive 
preparedness plan. 
 
------------------------ 
OTHER DONORS' ACTIVITIES 
------------------------ 
 
¶11. FAO and World Health Organization(WHO) are playing a 
lead role as the internationally agreed upon lead technical 
agencies.  The World Bank has been supporting the FAO in 
this role, and, per agreements at the Beijing conference, 
seeking to facilitate GOR and donor coordination issues. 
FAO has been working closely with the GOR steering committee 
on the National Plan.  Over the past week, the WB provided 
extensive comments and a comprehensive checklist of elements 
that should be included in the National Plan, based on 
existing best practices.  FAO is working with the steering 
committee to address and integrate the comments and 
checklist.  The revised draft of the National Plan should be 
available shortly. 
 
¶12. FAO has secured funds to support two national and one 
international consultant to help finalize the National Plan. 
Terms of Reference (TOR) have been drafted and the local 
 
 
consultants have been selected.  The WB has reviewed the TOR 
and recommended that they be harmonized with the Rapid 
Assessment TOR (agreed upon by FAO, WHO and WB following the 
Beijing conference). The FAO team has agreed to update the 
TOR. 
 
¶13. At the GOR's request, the WB and WHO will support AI 
interventions either within their existing portfolios or 
through preparation of a new intervention. However, 
additional support is required from other donors and the 
latter approach will require some groundwork. 
 
¶14. To facilitate institutional coordination, the GOR 
national steering committee will also include: FAO, WHO, WB 
and USAID. There will also be a technical donor working 
group which will include a large constituency of donors and 
international organizations, e.g. EU and DFID. The exact 
composition and mechanism for this coordination will be 
addressed at the next GOR/donor meeting. 
 
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FINAL COMMENTS 
-------------- 
 
¶15. The response to the Avian Influenza threat has been slow 
to start but progress has been made.  Competing priorities, 
such as foot-and-mouth disease and the ongoing food crisis, 
have received more immediate focused attention.  However, 
the recent outbreaks of avian influenza in Africa have 
highlighted the need for AI preparedness on the GOR's 
agenda. 
 
¶16. Considerable effort and resources are needed to build an 
effective response to the AI threat:  awareness-raising 
activities are just starting; surveillance efforts will have 
to overcome communication, infrastructure, and human 
resource limitations; and regional laboratories will have to 
be used to compensate for inadequate local laboratory 
facilities.  A test of the National Plan is a high priority 
to ensure the effectiveness of operational procedures for 
surveillance and control, including the cooperation of 
airlines and customs authorities for rapid specimen 
transportation and testing.  Moreover, as in most African 
countries, deeply rooted and complex socio-economic norms 
will have to be overcome in order to effectively prevent, 
detect, and control an AI outbreak. 
ARIETTI