VZCZCXRO5056
RR RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHGO #1503/01 2840148
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 110148Z OCT 06
FM AMEMBASSY RANGOON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5261
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 1163
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 9930
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 4355
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 1818
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 3551
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 7029
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 4648
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHINGTON DC
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 RANGOON 001503 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS; USDA FOR FAS/PECAD, FAS/CNMP, FAS/AAD; BANGKOK FOR 
USAID/RDMA: JMACARTHUR, APHIS: NCARDENAS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAGR EAID AMED PGOV CASC TBIO KLFU BM
SUBJECT: AI RESPONSE IN BURMA REMAINS A WORK IN PROGRESS 
 
REF: A) RANGOON 1249, B) RANGOON 359, C) RANGOON 355 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: The World Health Organization (WHO) and Food and 
Agriculture Organization (FAO), together with the Burmese Ministry of 
Health (MOH) and Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department (LBVD) 
hosted donor and training workshops in Rangoon on September 28-29.  U 
reps used the donor meeting to describe ongoing and planned Avian 
Influenza (AI) efforts in Burma.  According to UN officials, in the 
seven months since Burma announced an AI outbreak among poultry in 
Sagaing and Mandalay Divisions, the money pledged by donors has 
fostered capacity building, strengthened surveillance and detection, 
helped upgrade local facilities, and delivered vital supplies and 
equipment.  Taking advantage of the presence of donors, including USA 
and World Bank representatives, UN officials held a second workshop t 
discuss use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), including kits 
donated by USAID.  U.S. representatives took the lead among donors in 
stressing the need for strict project monitoring and evaluation.  Wit 
few donors currently supporting AI efforts in Burma, the total amount 
pledged falls over $2 million short of the $8.4 million requested by 
WHO and FAO to meet the country's most critical AI needs.  UN and 
Burmese participants expressed concern about unfunded needs and slow 
progress in implementing currently-funded programs in the area of 
animal health.  End summary. 
 
AI Free? 
-------- 
¶2. (U) On September 4, Burma declared to the OIE and the media that t 
country was now AI-free, based on the fact that over three months had 
passed since the last known case of avian influenza was diagnosed in 
poultry.  In response to a March 2006 AI outbreak among poultry in 
Sagaing and Mandalay Divisions, the GOB aggressively culled chickens, 
quail and ducks in affected areas, and claimed to have contained the 
initial outbreak in April (reftels B,C).  With minimal in-country lab 
capabilities, few trained veterinarians and health personnel, and 
scarce resources, the GOB is ill-prepared to prevent and control 
another AI outbreak without strong support from WHO, FAO and 
international donors.  However, concurrent AI outbreaks in other part 
of the world and the challenges of providing aid to Burma produced a 
weak response to initial requests for assistance.  The quick U.S. 
response to the March outbreak, through provision of 200 PPEs 
immediately after the outbreak occurred and follow-up advice and 
support to WHO and FAO, had helped to encourage others to pledge 
further support. 
 
Who's Giving What 
----------------- 
¶3. (SBU) At the WHO-sponsored donor's conference on September 28, 
country representatives from WHO, FAO, UNICEF, MOH and LBVD described 
ongoing efforts to address AI in Burma.  Workshop coordinators 
repeatedly expressed appreciation for USAID?s commitment of $1 millio 
WHO and FAO outlined their $8.4 million plan to upgrade AI capacity i 
Burma to attendees from the U.S. (Embassy and USAID), the U.K. (DFID) 
Australia (AusAID) and Japan (JICA).  World Bank representatives join 
the conference late and held discussions on the margins of the 
meetings.  World Bank representatives said they hope to fund $2 milli 
of the $8.4 million plan, which would leave WHO/FAO with a shortfall 
just over $2 million.  Donations to date include: 
 
-- USAID: $1 million for training programs and PPEs of which $475,000 
has been released; 
-- World Bank: potentially $2 million for a farmer compensation trust 
fund, disease research, and upgrades of labs in Mandalay; 
-- Asian Development Bank: $1 million for surveillance, an early 
warning system, lab upgrades, and strengthening WHO and FAO offices; 
-- AusAID: $770,000 to upgrade lab facilities and rehabilitate farms; 
-- AusAID (regional fund): $90,000 for lab support, plus a $130,000 
grant to CARE to develop and implement village preparedness and risk 
reduction programs; 
-- Japanese Embassy/JICA: funding public awareness posters and visits 
by experts; 
-- Japanese Trust Fund: $750,000 for emergency response and preventio 
plus $616,050 granted directly to FAO and OIE; 
-- China: $125,000 worth of vehicles, PPEs, lab equipment and trainin 
-- FAO emergency funds: $45,000 for the initial emergency response; 
-- Japanese Trust Fund: $1.9 million granted directly to UNICEF for 
risk communication (not included in the overall WHO/FAO plan). 
 
¶4. (SBU) To date, USAID has allocated $475,000 of its $1 million 
 
RANGOON 00001503  002 OF 003 
 
 
commitment to WHO and FAO.  Dr. John MacArthur, USAID Regional 
Infectious Disease Advisor, said that spending was on track (ref A), 
and discussed possible options for use of the remaining $525,000 in 
meetings with WHO representatives on September 28 and 29.  WHO's AI 
coordinating officer in Burma, Kanokporn Coninx, told emboffs of her 
concern that the Rangoon FAO office, despite the recent addition of 
three additional Burmese staff, had fallen behind in its AI program. 
She recommended that a foreign consultant or direct hire be added to 
help steer program development and communicate closely with donors. 
Most FAO staff currently serving in Burma are experts on agricultural 
crops, not animal health issues.  However, Dr. MacArthur stated that 
the FAO regional office has yet to release its funds and once release 
he expects the FAO activities to proceed rapidly. 
 
¶5. (SBU) At the donor workshop, Dr. MacArthur raised the following 
issues: 1)the need to address the possibility of an AI outbreak in 
remote border areas, where government services are minimal and access 
is more restricted; 2) the high costs of holding workshops in the new 
capital of Nay Pyi Taw, where hotel costs are double or triple those 
Rangoon or Mandalay, greatly reducing the effectiveness of limited 
donor funds; and 3) the need for closer coordination and communicatio 
and more formal procedures as funds flow through various agencies to 
address multiple projects.  U.S. participants at the workshop comment 
favorably on the GOB's open, cooperative, and transparent efforts to 
combat AI during the March-April outbreak in central Burma, and urged 
that such transparency and information-sharing continue.  MacArthur 
noted that this would foster more cooperation from international dono 
as well.  Although GOB and other donor participants did not respond t 
these points, WHO representatives told emboffs later that GOB 
participants were pleased they had been raised, although they lacked 
the authority to respond personally. 
 
PPE Management 
-------------- 
¶6. (U) On September 29, WHO representatives and USAID's MacArthur led 
Burma's first workshop on the logistics of managing PPE use.  WHO and 
FAO each received one-half of the 4,500 kits donated by USAID, which 
arrived in Burma 11 September and are now held at WHO and FAO 
warehouses.  At the workshop, district-level medical officers, border 
and airport control officials, hospital administrators, veterinary 
officials, medical stores operators, national lab technicians and 
representatives from the Central Epidemiology Unit learned how to 
properly use and monitor use of PPEs.  Using a USAID formula based on 
experience elsewhere, they calculated that Burma will need 25,000 - 
47,000 PPEs in country to protect personnel and control another 
outbreak. 
 
¶7. (U) The participants also discussed PPE distribution and storage 
throughout the country, and recommended that sizeable quantities of 
PPEs be retained in Rangoon and Mandalay because of the high density 
poultry and humans in the two largest cities.  Others would be 
dispersed to remote areas, such as Thaunggyi, Mawlamyine, Kale, and 
Myitkyina.  Medical stores personnel noted that supplies can generall 
reach the most remote areas of the country within four days.  The gro 
recommended PPE allocations for Rapid Response Teams, poultry cullers 
medical personnel, assessment teams, lab staff, transporters, and 
support personnel.  Recommendations from the workshop will be sent to 
the Minister of Health and the Minister of Livestock and Fisheries. 
The Ministers will then seek top-level approval for the PPE plan.  GO 
participants agreed that monitoring and accountability of PPEs is an 
important part of the proposal.  UN officials suggested that monitori 
teams might optimally include local staff representatives of donor 
nations and UN agencies. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Comment: In the seven months since Burma's first official 
outbreak, domestic capabilities to detect and control an AI outbreak 
have improved, although much more needs to be done.  Funding remains 
far short of needs, even at the reduced levels planned by WHO and FAO 
WHO has played a critical coordination role, while FAO has made slowe 
progress.  The MOH and LBVD still do not coordinate their efforts wel 
and although the GOB is more forthcoming about AI than many expected, 
it must develop a formal procedure for communication and information 
sharing about needs and activities.  GOB participants in the workshop 
were competent, experienced in their fields, and eager to engage the 
donors.  Participants particularly appreciated the advice given by 
USAID based on regional experience.  Since the AI threat transcends 
borders, it is in everyone's interests to keep Burma moving along the 
right track in building capacity, sharing information, and 
 
RANGOON 00001503  003 OF 003 
 
 
strengthening surveillance.  At the same time, because this is Burma, 
donors and UN agencies must closely monitor assistance to ensure that 
donated funds address real needs.  End comment. 
 
¶9. This cable was cleared by Dr. John MacArthur, USAID Regional 
Infectious Disease Advisor. 
 
VILLAROSA