VZCZCXYZ1459
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHKT #2524/01 2581048
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 151048Z SEP 06
FM AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3159
INFO RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0233
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 0152
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 3003
RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 5004
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 4775
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 4404

UNCLAS KATHMANDU 002524 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR SCA/INS, OES 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TBIO KFLU KSCA SOCI PREL WHO NP
SUBJECT: NEPAL: AVIAN INFLUENZA UPDATE 
 
REFS: A. KATHMANDU 927 
      ¶B. KATHMANDU 744 
      c. KATHMANDU 115971 
      ¶D. KATHMANDU 1377 
      ¶E. KATHMANDU 486 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1. (SBU) On September 13, the DCM chaired a meeting of 
Post's avian influenza working group.  There have still 
been no confirmed human or bird cases of avian influenza 
(AI) in Nepal.  The Embassy website is updated with the 
latest AI fact sheet and the country team has distributed 
pandemic influenza Video Compact Discs (VCD).  The 
government of Nepal (GON) recently submitted its final 
operational plan to the World Bank (WB) for approximately 
USD 15 million in AI program funding over three years. 
This should lead to final discussions on WB funding for AI 
preparedness in Nepal.  Other USAID funding for AI 
preparedness is being used for surveillance activities. 
 
NO AI HUMAN OR BIRD CASES REPORTED 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) On September 13 the DCM chaired a meeting of 
Post's avian influenza working group, which noted that 
there have still been no confirmed human or bird cases of 
avian influenza (AI) in Nepal.  The Ministry of 
Agriculture has investigated several suspected AI 
outbreaks in birds over the past few months and determined 
none of them to be AI. 
 
LATEST ON MISSION/AMCIT PREPARATION 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) Medoff observed that the latest State avian 
influenza fact sheet was clear that the Department would 
not provide Tamiflu to Amcits (ref C).  Conoff noted that 
the new fact sheet was on the Embassy website.  He added 
that Post was not planning a town hall on AI at this time 
to avoid creating unwanted panic. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Post recently received 70 copies of the "Being 
Prepared for Pandemic Influenza" VCD and the country team 
distributed it to Mission employees.  This VCD is not 
copyrighted and is being reproduced at Post to be made 
available to Amcits at the consular section. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Post's health unit has received its shipment of 
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to use in the event of 
an outbreak and is storing it in pre-positioned strategic 
locations. 
 
WORLD BANK RECEIVES GON FINAL OPERATIONAL PLAN 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶6. (SBU) Plans for World Bank (WB) funding remain at the 
"pre-appraisal" mission (team) stage (ref D).  The 
Government of Nepal (GON) submitted a final version of its 
operational plan on AI to the WB during the week of 
September 4.  The plan is largely based on the GON's AI 
preparedness plan that the former royal cabinet approved 
in March 2006 (ref B).  The WB is planning to fund 
approximately USD 15 million for AI over three years.  The 
funds are to be used for activities covering human and 
animal health sides of AI, to include surveillance, 
communications, laboratory infrastructure, and a 
compensation system for culled poultry.  Further 
negotiations between the GON and the WB are expected 
during the coming weeks with an eye toward having WB money 
available sooner than later. 
 
OTHER AI PREPAREDNESS UPDATES 
----------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) Post received rapid test kits in July to 
participate in the cooperative project with the health 
unit of Embassy Bangkok and the Armed Forces Research 
Institute of Medical Science (AFRIMS) in Bangkok to do 
laboratory diagnostic testing of samples from human 
patients in Nepal who exhibit flu-like symptoms (ref D). 
USAID reports that the rapid test kits have limited 
accuracy. 
 
¶8. (SBU) FAO Nepal received USD 215,000 in USAID funds for 
the GON's bird surveillance capabilities in July (ref A). 
The World Health Organization (WHO) Nepal received USD 
100,000 from USAID in July for development of a 
surveillance system for Nepali health services to detect 
human AI cases should they occur (ref E). 
 
¶9. (SBU) Emboff recently raised with the Food and 
Agriculture Organization (FAO) Nepal and USAID the need 
for funding for the GON to develop a mechanism to do 
surveillance for small "backyard" poultry producers, which 
are quite common in Nepal.  Emboff noted that it took two 
years for the government of Indonesia to develop proper 
surveillance mechanisms after it realized that most of its 
human AI cases were coming from backyard farms, not large 
commercial poultry operations. 
 
¶10. (SBU) USAID funded training for AI human preparedness 
for the GON's Rapid Response Teams in late August. 
 
¶11. (SBU) Of the 2,000 sets of PPE the Ministry of 
Agriculture requested in April 2006 from USAID/Nepal, a 
total of 1,500 units of PPE have arrived to date (ref D). 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶12. (SBU) Post will continue to hold monthly meetings of 
its AI working group.  We will monitor and seek 
opportunities to guide and assist the GON in their AI 
preparedness activities. 
 
MORIARTY