This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS ROME 000860 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR IO/EDA, EUR/SE, EUR/WE, NEA/ENA, EA/SEA, OES/IHA 
USAID FOR DCHA/OFDA GGOTTLIEB, PMORRIS; GH/KHILL, DCARROLL 
AND BZINNER; AFR/MHARVEY, ALOZANO; EGAT A/AA JSMITH; 
ANE/ACLEMENTS, K/CRAWFORD; EGAT/AG JYAZMAN AND JTHOMAS 
USDA FOR OSEC STUMP/PENN/LAMBERT/CAINE, 
FAS PETTRIE/HUGHES/CLERKIN, APHIS CLIFFORD/HOFFMAN 
DAKAR FOR USAID/OFDA/RDAVIS AND JSCICCHITANO 
BAMAKO FOR USAID/WARP HBOTTEMBERG; 
GENEVA FOR NKYLOH/USAID 
HHS FOR OGHA (STEIGER) 
BRUSSELS FOR USAID/PLERNER AND APHIS/PFERNANDEZ 
PARIS FOR GCARNER 
USEUCOM FOR ECJ4 
VIENNA PASS APHIS 
CAIRO PASS APHIS 
 
 
FROM THE U.S. MISSION TO THE UN AGENCIES IN ROME 
 
E.O.  12958:  N/A 
TAGS: KFLU EAGR EAID CASC SENV SOCI TBIO FAO WHO AVIAN INFLUENZA
SUBJECT:  AVIAN INFLUENZA:  WEEKLY UPDATE ON FAO ACTIVITIES 
#3 FOR THE WEEK ENDING MARCH 17, 2006 
 
REF: (A) 05 ROME 3949; (B) 05 ROME 3320; (C) 05 ROME 2979; 
 
(D) 05 ROME 1142; (E) 05 ROME 3976; (F) 06 ROME 0087; (G) 06 
ROME 0000 (sic); (H) 06 UN ROME 0315; (I) 06 UN ROME 0430; 
(J) 06 UN ROME 0464; (K) 06 UN ROME 0626; (L) UN ROME 0678; 
(M) 06 UN ROME 0766 
 
Sensitive but unclassified - please protect accordingly. 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary:  On March 16, USMISSION UN ROME staff met 
with various members of FAO's Animal Production and Health 
Division (AGA) and Emergency Operations and Rehabilitation 
Division (TCE) for an update on Avian Influenza (AI) 
operations worldwide as well specific country programs. 
Much of this information has not yet been released publicly 
nor has it been officially verified;  it should be protected 
accordingly.  Staff reported that: 
 
-- Azerbaijan: HPAI has been confirmed in swans in four 
locations on the Caspian Sea, and in domesticated poultry in 
four commercial farms.  The Government of Azerbaijan 
reported to FAO that humans who contracted the disease did 
so from illegal hunting and eating wild swans.  Isolates 
from samples collected in Azerbaijan show a molecular 
evolution.  Cat and dog mortalities have also been reported, 
with a confirmation of HPAI in one dog. An FAO 
representative is in country to conduct a preliminary 
assessment in preparation for an international mission 
comprised of the European Commission, OIE and FAO; 
 
-- Nigeria: In order to avoid any internal control or 
influence by the Government, a Nigerian national based in 
Rome has been recruited to work as an FAO international 
consultant; 
 
-- Niger: A "sanitary" border between Niger and Nigeria is 
being established.  Nigerians have bought poultry from Jema 
village in Niger; and 
 
-- Recruitment of International Staff and Personal 
Protective Equipment (PPE):  FAO is in the process of 
finalizing the recruitment of 13 additional staff to be 
deployed internationally.  FAO also reported that its PPE 
kit is sized for 500 persons and one kit has been ordered 
for 65 countries, but has been experiencing delivery delays. 
End Summary 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
Azerbaijan 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU)  FAO animal health experts in confidence provided 
us information not yet publicly released that, from March 13- 
17, FAO's Ankara-based representative is in country to 
conduct a preliminary assessment in preparation for next 
week's fielding of a week-long international mission.  The 
Ankara-based representative has been working with the 
Azerbaijani chief veterinary officer (CVO), national 
veterinary service and related government ministries on 
developing field assessments, risk analysis and determining 
requisites for a national strategy.  Initial feedback to 
FAO/HQ indicates that there has been no real reporting of 
poultry die offs, most likely due to the lack of 
surveillance, the weakness for which can largely be 
attributed to political factors between the Government of 
Azerbaijan (GoA) and its poultry industry. 
 
¶3. (SBU)  FAO/HQ stated that the eastern part of Azerbaijan 
is the most worrisome and will need to be systematically 
surveyed.   Unfortunately, the GoA was not proactive like 
its neighbors Iraq and Iran, and its slow wake-up on the 
need for active surveillance and collection of baseline data 
triggered the exposure to humans, leading to multiple human 
deaths.  Moreover, FAO reported on disconcerting rumors 
being tracked of cat as well as dog mortalities, and the 
increasing evidence of changes in the viral genome that 
facilitate transmission to other mammals, referring to a 
comparative analysis of isolates collected from Azerbaijan 
to those isolates retrieved in Turkey. 
¶4. (SBU)  According to FAO, the GoA has stated that humans 
became infected by handling and eating dead/hunted 
wildbirds.  Samples taken from dead poultry in villages 
where human deaths occurred were tested by PCR and turned 
out to be negative for H5N1.   National veterinary services 
are now saying it is Newcastle disease. 
¶5. (SBU)  At present, HPAI has been confirmed in swans in 
four locations on the Caspian Sea (Turkan, Balagary, 
Garadakh, Khyurdalan), all situated on the Absheron 
peninsula near Baku.   HPAI has also been confirmed in 
domestic poultry in four commercial farms: the first two in 
Khizy District (one near Geyliazy village and the other in 
Arko Co, which is a branch of the farm in Geyliazy); the 
third in Belasuar District (Samedabad); and the fourth in 
Fyziuli District.   HPAI was also confirmed in a dead dog 
found in the Binagadi area outside Baku.  FAO reports that 
the national veterinary service has imposed a quarantine and 
is carrying out disinfection in infected premises. 
¶6. (U)  On March 20-24, FAO will join the OIE and the 
European Commission on a joint rapid assessment mission to 
Azerbaijan to provide emergency technical assistance as well 
as technical requirements for planning a national animal 
health strategy.  The four-person mission will gather for 
analysis information on active poultry foci.  An 
investigation into poultry industry practices will be made 
part of the mission's terms of reference as well. USMISSION 
UN ROME has suggested that FAO hold a donor debrief in Baku 
upon completion of service. 
 
¶7. (U)  Beginning March 28, FAO plans to post a highly- 
qualified Iranian veterinary/epidemiologist in Baku for an 
initial five-month assignment.  The expert, who previously 
worked as the FAO CVO in Tehran, is known for his linguistic 
skills, including several Caucasian dialects, and receives 
high remarks for his diplomatic as well as trust-building 
skills, both of which will be needed in Azerbaijan.  FAO is 
also examining the option of fielding its Turkey-based 
virologist to Azerbaijan, but only if there is no disruption 
or negative impact to ongoing activities in Turkey. 
 
¶8. (U)  Lastly, TCE is in the process of preparing a 
regional proposal for the control of HPAI in the Caucasus. 
The proposal will be prepared in a modular way so that 
multiple donors can select funding a particular program of 
interest. 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
Nigeria 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶9. (U)  AGA staff reported that the Government of Nigeria 
(GoN) has been sensitized to compensation for backyard 
poultry farms.  Two compensation systems are being 
considered:  on-the-spot compensation for smaller farms and 
a voucher system for larger farms.  Apparently, FAO is now 
in the driver's seat on this issue (as compared to 
previously when OIE and AU-IBAR were also competing) and 
will send a consultant there in two weeks to tweak the 
details. 
 
¶10. (SBU) TCE staff reported that, in order to avoid any 
internal control or influence by the GoN, a Nigerian 
national based in Rome has been recruited to work as an FAO 
international consultant.  He and the two other Nigerian 
nationals already working under FAO in-country will tie in 
AI activities to the FAO/OIE Global Framework for 
Progressive Control of Transboundary Animal Diseases (GF- 
TADs) program already underway there.  Plans are also 
underway to recruit an epidemiologist/veterinarian as well 
as a rural information specialist to work on logistics at 
the federal level and strengthen the ECTAD country unit.  In 
addition to discussing and preparing project proposals with 
the USAID Mission in Nigeria, FAO held discussion with the 
EC and CIDA on funding of activities, particularly relating 
to the preparation of joint statement or plan of action. 
The African Development Bank also expressed interest in 
funding a package of assistance.  The FAO Representative 
(FAOR) will take the lead in donor coordination to develop a 
central ECTAD strengthening program and avoid scattered 
programming activities. 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
Niger 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶11. (U) Niger:  An AGA staff member who returned on March 15 
from a week-long mission in Niger first briefed on the FAO- 
sponsored two-day veterinary training workshop in Niamey 
from March 9-10.  The workshop had a dual focus, HPAI 
surveillance and control and Newcastle disease, and was 
attended by 100 veterinarians, who were each provided with 
two take-home Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits. 
 
¶12. (SBU) USMISSION UN ROME also received an overview of the 
epidemiological situation as well as his assessment of a 
field mission conducted from March 11-12, which follows: 
 
-- Zinder region: two cases of H5N1 were confirmed in ducks 
in Galawa Rouga, Magaria.  (Samples from a dead chicken, 
meanwhile, proved positive for Newcastle disease.)  Culling 
measures were supposed to have begun in Magaria, but due to 
the delay in response, most of the poultry died and no 
compensation plan has yet been approved. 
 
-- Goure: a high mortality of ducks was reported, but no 
samples have been collected; a medium mortality of chickens 
was reported with samples collected and transferred to the 
national lab. 
 
-- N'Guigmi, Diffa region: a high mortality of wild birds 
was reported.  A CIRAD team took samples from six birds; 
results are pending. 
 
-- Birni N'Konni, Tahoua region, Jema village:  high 
mortality of chickens was reported; the regional lab in 
Tahoua collected samples for analysis by the national lab. 
All dead birds were burned, but no control measures have 
been applied to live birds.  No poultry was sold to 
surrounding villages in Niger, but poultry was bought by 
Nigerians from the Nigerian sister village of Jema.  No 
buffer was put into place around Jema village, and people 
and vehicles are freely circulating.  Meanwhile, in 
surrounding villages, poultry were seen roaming freely.  In 
these villages, public awareness of AI was generally 
described as good.  There have been radio PSAs and an 
assessment of overall hygiene measures has been done with 
the local population. 
 
-- Dosso: samples of dead wild ducks and heron in W Park 
were sent to the national lab and to the FAO/OIE reference 
lab in Padua, Italy. No suspicion of AI in domestic poultry 
has been reported. 
 
¶13. (SBU)  One major contribution by FAO is the preparation 
and setup of a disease collection template as there was no 
systemic tracking at either the national or regional level. 
FAO also raised the question of vaccination, and the 
Government expressed a willingness to vaccinate.  A proposal 
is also being prepared with the Government to enhance 
surveillance along the border with Nigeria and in high-risk 
areas with a high density of wild birds.  The idea is to 
create a type of "sanitary" border where vaccinations 
against both HPAI and Newcastle disease can be carried out. 
 
¶14. (SBU)  Despite these efforts, the main issue relates to 
a major lack of equipment.  Surveillance in Niger, and most 
likely other African countries, suffers from the lack of 
equipment and resources to investigate HPAI at the village 
level.  For this reason, the FAOR has distributed petrol 
vouchers to central authorities for distribution to regions 
in an effort to reach villages for surveillance purposes. 
The FAOR is also currently purchasing disinfectant and 
evaluating the possibility of using sprayers from the desert 
locust campaign in the AI campaign as well.  We were told 
that 1,000 PPEs in all have been delivered to Magaria where 
H5N1 has been confirmed, while the French have distributed 
very limited quantities of PPEs, disinfectant and sampling 
kits.  Delays in delivering equipment to regional posts also 
comes at the expense of villagers.  The Nigeriens are well 
trained in the technical aspects of surveillance and control 
of HPAI, but lack national measures and infrastructure to 
apply this expertise.  The FAOR will take the lead on donor 
coordination in Niger as well and has been discussing with 
the EC the possibility of setting up a logistical network 
that will work like a public food distribution system to 
supply equipment. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
TCE Update: PPE and recruitment of staff 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶15. (U) TCE staff stated they are in the process of 
finalizing recruitment of 13 technical staff for deployment 
at the country level in Bamako, Nairobi, Cairo, Budapest and 
elsewhere.  Staff working on AI in Rome has been augmented 
by 18 persons who cover programming and planning, 
procurement and contracts, monitoring and finance, public 
information and dissemination, and geographical regions. 
The process of recruitment both internationally and locally 
has been improving. 
 
¶16. (U) TCE also reported that FAO's PPE kit is sized for 
500 persons and one kit each has been ordered for 65 
countries.  Currently, FAO's most common problem with 
suppliers relates to delivery time, with a range of 4-12 
weeks at an average cost of $20 per kit.  USMISSION UN ROME 
has provided copies of USAID PPE component specifications to 
FAO in an effort to link the organization to the system 
being used by USAID Missions worldwide. 
 
 
¶17. (U) USMISSION UN ROME will continue to disseminate 
widely FAO activities to combat and control Avian Influenza. 
 
Hall