VZCZCXRO9670
PP RUEHMA RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #1925/01 2261229
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 141229Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4132
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHRN/USMISSION UN ROME

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 001925 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AIDAC 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR AF/SPG, PRM, AND ALSO PASS USAID/W 
USAID FOR DCHA SUDAN TEAM, AFR/SP 
NAIROBI FOR USAID/DCHA/OFDA, USAID/REDSO, AND FAS 
GENEVA FOR NKYLOH 
NAIROBI FOR SFO 
NSC FOR JBRAUSE, NSC/AFRICA FOR TSHORTLEY 
USUN FOR TMALY 
BRUSSELS FOR PLERNER 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: EAID PREF PGOV PHUM SOCI KFLU SU
SUBJECT:  SUDAN - AVIAN FLU UPDATE 10 - AUGUST 14 
 
KHARTOUM 00001925  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
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Summary 
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¶1.  On August 2, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) 
convened a Technical Task Force (TTF) meeting on Avian Influenza 
(AI).  At this time, there were no new cases of AI reported in 
humans in Sudan.  The last AI outbreak in poultry was on July 6, and 
since then, there have been no cases of AI reported in any states. 
The Sudan Strategy and Plan of Action, which was prepared by the 
Federal Ministry of Animal Resources and Fisheries (FMARF), was 
distributed to donors on July 30.  A pre-vaccination serological 
survey was carried out by the Khartoum State Ministry of 
Agriculture, in collaboration with the FMARF and the Central 
Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL), and vaccinations have begun. 
A Rapid Response Team (RRT) including representatives from Federal 
and State ministries, FAO, the U.N. World Health Organization (WHO), 
CVRL, and the Central Health Laboratories will be formed, and terms 
of reference (TOR) will be written for the team.  The committee 
formed by the FMARF to study issues related to the compensation of 
poultry farmers estimated that USD 10 million is needed in funds to 
compensate farmers, and the committee recommends 100 percent 
compensation.  End summary. 
 
---------------------- 
Status of AI in Sudan 
---------------------- 
 
¶2.  On August 2, FAO convened a meeting for the TTF on AI in 
Khartoum.  Representatives from the Ministry of Finance, the U.N. 
Children's Fund (UNICEF), Khartoum State, and the State Ministry of 
Health (MOH) were absent at this meeting.  The last outbreak of AI 
in poultry was reported on July 6, and since then, there have been 
no cases of AI reported in any states.  The TTF stressed that 
although there are currently no outbreaks, the virus may still be 
present.  The TTF noted that high temperatures may explain the 
reduction in cases of the disease, and additional outbreaks may be 
expected especially when temperatures decrease.  The TTF stated that 
a thorough investigation is needed to determine where the virus is 
present when there are no outbreaks and how it spreads.  WHO will 
conduct awareness training on AI that will target the international 
community working in Sudan. 
 
¶3.  Pre-vaccination samples (sera and swabs) were collected from 
breeder farms by the Khartoum State Ministry of Agriculture, in 
collaboration with the FMARF and the CVRL.  These samples were then 
tested at the CVRL, and 2 of 70 sera samples collected from one of 
the breeder farms tested positive for AI A.  The samples were 
re-tested, and the serotype was found to be low pathogenic AI.  The 
samples will be sent to Weybridge, a reference laboratory in the 
United Kingdom, for confirmation.  The CVRL only has resources to 
conduct pre-vaccination surveys.  The CVRL will coordinate with 
state ministries to obtain the necessary data for the layer farms to 
plan for sampling and collection of specimens. 
 
¶4.  The final version of the Sudan Strategy and Plan of Action was 
prepared by the FMARF and distributed to donors on July 30.  A 
committee was formed by the Federal Ministry of Animal Resources and 
Fisheries to study the economic impact of the disease, restructuring 
the poultry industry, and compensation to farmers.  The committee 
recommended 100 percent compensation for farmers who have lost 
poultry, but the Sudanese government has only approved 40 percent 
compensation and exempting farmers from taxes for 6 months. 
 
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Coordination 
------------- 
 
¶5.  The TTF has weekly meetings, but the representatives from the 
Ministry of Health and Ministry of Finance have not attended these 
meetings.  FAO was assigned to contact members who are not attending 
weekly meetings to ensure their participation in the future. 
 
¶6.  A RRT will be formed with representatives from FAO, WHO, State 
Ministry of Agriculture (SMOA), State Ministry of Health (SMOH), 
FMARF, and CVRL.  Each agency will nominate one person who will be a 
permanent member of the team, and each member will be financially 
supported by his/her agency.  The main function of the RRT will be 
to ensure active surveillance and guarantee that proper control 
measures are promptly carried out when an outbreak is reported.  The 
TOR for the RRT will be prepared by FAO and will be discussed and 
approved by the TTF. 
 
KHARTOUM 00001925  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
 
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Contributions Toward Sudan Strategy and Plan of Action 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
¶7.  According to the USAID/Sudan Health Specialist, FAO has 
allocated USD 250,000 for the AI program in Sudan.  USAID and UNDP 
have also provided USD 200,000 and USD 150,000, respectively, for AI 
control activities in Sudan.  An FAO consultant is in Sudan and held 
a two-day workshop attended by representatives from the Federal and 
State Ministries of Animal Resources and Fisheries, Federal and 
State Ministries of Health, Poultry Chamber, and FAO.  The 
objectives of the workshop were to review the status of the AI 
epidemic worldwide, focusing specifically on Sudan and neighboring 
countries.  The workshop also aimed to study the Sudan Strategy and 
Plan of Action and provide recommendations to combat AI in Sudan. 
 
HUME