VZCZCXRO4224
RR RUEHDU RUEHGI RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHPA
DE RUEHDJ #0614/01 1431227
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 231227Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY DJIBOUTI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7234
INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 3305
RUEHAE/AMEMBASSY ASMARA 2080
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 0112
RUEHKH/AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM 0084
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0589
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 2937
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0835
RUEHYN/AMEMBASSY SANAA 1516
RHPIGXW/CJTF HOA
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0298

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DJIBOUTI 000614 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
LONDON, PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHER 
 
ADDIS AND ASMARA FOR CONSULAR SECTION 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AMED CASC TBIO KFLU EAID EAGR DJ
 
SUBJECT: UPDATE 2: AVIAN INFLUENZA IN DJIBOUTI 
 
REF: DJIBOUTI 564 
DJIBOUTI 578 
 
¶1. (U) Summary.  Since our last update, very little new information h 
confirmed.  In reftel we referred to a confirmed case in an eight-yea 
Since then we have learned that the child in question was only two-ye 
She has since recovered nicely.  We believe she may be one of the you 
survivors of H5N1 to recover without Tamiflu being administered withi 
first 48 hours of symptom onset.  Two of her siblings and her health- 
provider have fallen ill and samples from the three individuals were 
NAMRU-3 in Cairo for testing, as well a sick chicken that the family 
All returned negative.  It is still not clear how the two-year-old gi 
infected.  The Government of Djibouti (GoD) was offering daily briefi 
Ministry of Health.  These briefings have been canceled until further 
because of the lack of results in carrying out activities that are pl 
these meetings, in particular the culling of chickens in the capital. 
Summary. 
 
What Djibouti is doing: 
---------------------------- 
¶2. (U) When H5N1 was confirmed in a person in Damerjog, the GoD annou 
that all chickens in the Damerjog area should be culled and that bird 
would be recompensed for their loss.  The GoD sent representatives to 
Damerjog, to initiate the culling, but when the birds were presented 
announced the compensation would be given at a later (undetermined) d 
Most bird owners took their chickens and left the area.  The GoD has 
trying to cull chickens in Damerjog but no official reports have been 
with details of results. 
 
¶3. (U) Comment.  This policy has the potential to bring together infe 
uninfected birds in one area, as upon finding they will not be paid, 
return them to their homes, possibly having cross-contaminated previo 
healthy birds.  However, the 26 samples that were collected all teste 
tests performed locally in the French Military hospital and official 
will come from NAMRU-3. 
 
¶4. (U) At the urging of USAID, the World Health Organization (WHO) an 
French military the Ministry of Agriculture announced through a commu 
on May 21 that it would soon begin culling operations in the capital, 
full cooperation of the population in order to succeed. The communiqu 
provide details such as date or methodology for carrying out this ope 
 
What the French are doing: 
-------------------------------- 
¶5. (U) The French military hospital has the capability to test to ide 
both birds and people.  The hospital does not have a level-3 approved 
laboratory, so samples with positive findings are sent to Cairo to be 
by NAMRU-3.    The French also provided Tamiflu to Djiboutian health 
officials to administer to the three patients that had been awaiting 
well as the index case of the two year old. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Reportedly the French military got fed up with the daily Dji 
briefing at the Ministry of Health after indications that the GoD was 
and providing no new information.  The French announced that they wou 
attend no more meetings until the GoD or WHO had something to report. 
meetings have therefore been suspended until further notice. 
 
¶7. (U) ConOff also met with representatives from the French Consulate 
information about the situation in Djibouti.  The French representati 
poorly informed, and hungry for reliable information.  Comment:  USAI 
representative has heard doubts expressed by the French that Avian Fl 
exists in Djibouti. End Comment. 
 
What the U.S. is doing: 
--------------------------- 
¶8. (U) USAID and Embassy representatives attended the daily briefings 
they were suspended.  We continue to communicate one on one with our 
immediate counterparts in the French embassy/consulate and with local 
representatives. Also, USAID is working with WHO to develop the 
communication plan which WHO will execute. USAID will provide $50,000 
funding to WHO to support this activity which includes production of 
television/radio materials as well as dissemination of these material 
support and general awareness-raising in the population. USAID is als 
providing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to GoD and US Military, 
distributed 50 sets thus far. Fifty more have arrived and another 200 
way as well as two lab specimen kits and one decontamination kit. 
USAID/Washington has said that it could make available up to another 
 
DJIBOUTI 00000614  002 OF 002 
 
 
$100,000 as needed. 
 
¶9. (SBU) The U.S. military sent several medical personnel to the area 
Damerjog to look for and sample sick people.  However, they expected 
Ministry of Agriculture to be sampling chickens.  When it became clea 
Ministry was not, the U.S. medical personnel attempted to locate chic 
test them.  The military considered it essential to identify the sour 
infected child's illness.  If H5N1 cannot be traced to a chicken with 
girl had direct contact, new questions are raised.  As yet, all fowl 
that area have tested negative, and the source has not been definitiv 
identified. 
 
¶10. (U) On May 14 ConOff held a Warden Meeting. It was well attended, 
all but one Warden appearing.  USAID rep for health issues presented 
know about AI in Djibouti, as well as basic information about the vir 
to protect oneself.  Information pamphlets were distributed.  On May 
Ambassador held a Town Hall meeting in which CJTF-HOA and USAID 
participated.  This meeting was poorly attended by AmCits, but severa 
ahead of time to inquire as to the content of the meeting, so we are 
message got out through Wardens.  Contact with several AmCits after t 
Hall confirmed that they were aware, but did not feel sufficient anxi 
H5N1 to warrant attending the meeting.  However, the meeting was atte 
several non-AmCits who wanted to know what information we had to shar 
(specifically: the panel physician, a CDC representative and the Fren 
Consulate.) 
 
¶11. (U) Embassy Djibouti will continue to transmit to Washington and 
American community information as it becomes available. 
RAGSDALE