VZCZCXRO4980
PP RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHDR #0434/01 0850620
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 260620Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY DAR ES SALAAM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5808
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA PRIORITY 3163
RUEHJB/AMEMBASSY BUJUMBURA PRIORITY 2512
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA PRIORITY 2969
RUEHKH/AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM PRIORITY 0056
RUEHLGB/AMEMBASSY KIGALI PRIORITY 0934
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI PRIORITY 0584
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 DAR ES SALAAM 000434 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR OES/IHA 
ALSO AF/E FOR BYODER, AF/RSA FOR MBITTRICK 
PASS TO USAID FOR E/AF FOR KDESGRANGES 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV CASC PREL EAID PBTS TZ
SUBJECT: RIFT VALLEY FEVER SPREADS IN TANZANIA, FROM 
NORTHERN TO CENTRAL REGION 
 
 
Summary 
-------- 
¶1. (SBU) Rift Valley Fever (RVF), an acute fever-causing 
viral disease that affects livestock and humans, has spread 
from northern to central Tanzania, with Dodoma Region the 
hardest hit.  While most RVF cases are not fatal, the 18 
deaths in Tanzania since the February 2007 outbreak have 
sparked fear among the population and seriously affected the 
meat industry in Northern Tanzania.  The Government of 
Tanzania (GOT) has taken steps to address the outbreak 
including ordering vaccines to protect the cattle around 
infected areas.  The Ministry of Livestock and Development 
(MOL) and the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOHSW) 
have also presented a work plan for donor assistance to 
increase health surveillance, public awareness and 
vaccination coverage.  Although the GOT is taking the right 
measures, health and veterinary capacity is poor and there is 
a significant risk that RVF will spread further.  The Embassy 
has issued two warden messages and post will continue to 
monitor the situation closely.  END SUMMARY. 
 
Rift Valley Fever Spreads 
------------------------- 
¶2. (U) According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (CDC), Rift Valley Fever (RVF) is an acute 
fever-causing viral disease which affects domestic animals 
such as cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats and camels, and humans. 
RVF can be transmitted through mosquitoes, exposure to 
uncooked or partially cooked meat, blood, and milk of 
infected animals.  In Kenya, RVF has killed about 170 people 
after the outbreak in November 2006.  In February 2007, the 
GOT confirmed an outbreak of RVF in the northern region of 
Tanzania, including Arusha.  (Note: Although Dar es Salaam's 
CDC Office does not currently have an official role with 
respect to RVF, CDC Tanzania is currently playing an advisory 
role to the GOT, coordinating technical assistance and 
liaising with CDC Kenya for transport of samples for 
laboratory diagnosis.) 
 
¶3. (SBU) Since Tanzania's initial outbreak in February 2007, 
RVF has killed 18 Tanzanians and hospitalized 79 others. 
Although the number of fatalities is small, the virus is 
spreading, creating fear among the Tanzanian population, and 
affecting the food supply.  Dodoma, the legislative capital 
and a traditional livestock and meat packing area, has been 
the hardest hit with 15 deceased and 60 hospitalized.  Other 
affected regions include Arusha (2 deceased; 12 
hospitalized), Manyara (0 deceased; 6 hospitalized), and 
Tanga (1 deceased; 1 hospitalized).  RVF has also killed more 
than 600 cattle in the Arusha region and over 4,000 animals, 
mainly cattle, have aborted because of illness associated 
with RVF.  Dr. Mbuji, an epidemiologist with the MOHSW noted 
that the nation's central slaughter house is located in 
Dodoma, bringing in cattle from all different parts of the 
country. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Awareness about RVF and health surveillance of 
affected areas appears to have increased.  CDC Tanzania 
reported that the first six cases of RVF in Tanzania were 
only diagnosed post-mortem.  An increasing number of 
hospitalized patients suggests that health workers have been 
able to detect cases earlier.  (Note: Tanzania does not have 
the laboratory capacity to diagnose RVF in humans and must 
send all human samples to the CDC laboratory in Kenya for 
diagnosis.)  According to Dr. Mbuji, however, increased 
health worker training and surveillance is critical because 
evidence indicates that symptoms of the disease are changing, 
with cases showing more central nervous system signs (e.g. 
coma). 
 
Fear Spreading Alongside Disease 
------------------------------ 
¶5. (SBU) Fear and misinformation about RVF have also spread 
in Tanzania.  While there is no cure for RVF, the majority of 
cases (approximately 90 percent) are not fatal.  Responding 
to the public's escalating fear, Deputy Minister of Health, 
Dr. Aisha Kigoda, issued the following statement on March 14: 
"The government has managed to contain the situation.  I 
repeat the situation is under control."  According to Wesley 
 
DAR ES SAL 00000434  002 OF 003 
 
 
Edwards, an American cattle ranger in Arusha, leaders of 
various churches have been instructing congregations not to 
drink milk and not to eat meat.  At a press conference on 
March 19, Minister of Health, Professor Mwakyusa, updated the 
public about the spread of RVF and tried to clarify 
misconceptions about not eating any meat or drinking milk. 
He warned people to refrain from "drinking unboiled milk and 
eating raw or uncooked meat." 
 
Meat Industry in Arusha at Standstill 
------------------------------------- 
¶6. (SBU) According to Edwards, the livestock industry in 
Northern Tanzania has suffered a major set back over the past 
two months.  In early February, the GOT closed livestock 
markets in Arusha.  "What that means is that all the people 
that used to sell animals, are no longer able to.  Butchers 
have no access to meat and therefore are not selling it," 
Edwards told PolOff on March 20.  He noted that some cattle 
were being sold to Arusha's municipal slaughter house and 
that the slaughter house claimed to check cattle for RVF.  In 
the past Arusha's slaughter house killed about 150 cattle per 
day, while now it is killing about ten.  Edwards also 
confirmed that the demand for meat and milk has declined and 
that the price had dropped significantly. 
 
GOT Actions to Address RVF 
-------------------------- 
¶7. (SBU) Both Tanzania's MOL and the MOHSW have moved to 
respond to the RVF outbreak. In February, the Ministry of 
Livestock placed restrictions on the movement of cattle and 
took 195 blood samples from cattle for testing at a 
laboratory in Temeke, Dar es Salaam.  The MOL has also 
started vaccinating cattle around affected areas.  The MOHSW 
has conducted surveillance in Northern Tanzania and increased 
training of health workers to collect samples, identify, and 
treat the disease. According to CDC Tanzania, however, closer 
MOL and MOHSW collaboration is needed for a unified response. 
 
¶8. (SBU) On March 12, the MOHSW's Director of Preventative 
Services hosted a meeting with representatives from the 
MOHSW, MOL, Office of the Prime Minister, CDC Tanzania, and 
the United Nations (UN) Regional Operations Office.  The 
MOHSW and MOL presented a joint work plan and budget 
identifying key areas where the GOT requires assistance to 
respond to RVF: surveillance training for health workers, 
public awareness campaigns, and vaccinations.  The UN 
Regional Operations representative will present the GOT work 
plan to the Development Partners Group, of which USAID is a 
member, to obtain support for the effort.  UNICEF has already 
agreed to support RVF public awareness campaigns in Tanzania. 
 
Key Challenge: Lack of Vaccines 
------------------------------- 
¶9. (SBU) At the March 19 press conference, Health Minister 
Mwakyusa announced that the GOT had ordered two million 
vaccines and had already started vaccinating cattle in 
certain areas.  The strategy, he explained, is to vaccinate 
cattle in a ring around infected areas to prevent further 
spread.  Rebecca Martin, a health specialist with Dar es 
Salaam's CDC office, noted that the GOT hopes to use 
vaccinations as quickly as possible to contain the spread 
south. 
 
¶10. (SBU) Martin clarified, however, that obtaining enough 
RVF vaccines will not necessarily be easy or quick.  Kenya, 
she explained, bought all vaccines available on the market. 
"Tanzania currently only has about 486,000 doses of vaccines 
and will have to wait for more to become available as they 
are manufactured in South Africa," Martin said.  The 
Permanent Secretary at MOL, Mr. Nyamarunda, explained that 
MOL had started the process of inoculations but that an 
estimated 30 million vaccines total were needed to vaccinate 
livestock across the country.  Wesley Edwards noted that he 
had purchased vaccines through a private company to protect 
his cattle.  He stressed that the vaccinations require a cold 
chain and that effectiveness could deteriorate in more 
remote, rural locations without proper refrigeration and 
storage. 
 
 
DAR ES SAL 00000434  003 OF 003 
 
 
Comment: Quick, Unified Action Needed to Curb RVF Spread 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
¶11. (SBU) While the GOT is taking the right steps to address 
the RVF outbreak, the virus is spreading.  Increasing 
surveillance for early detection, public awareness and 
vaccinations are all critical to preventing the spread of RVF 
throughout Tanzania.  However, the Deputy Minister of 
Health's announcement that the situation was "completely 
under control," was an overstatement.  Health and veterinary 
capacity is weak; obtaining and administering vaccinations 
will likely be a slow, arduous process; and coordination 
between GOT agencies could be improved.  The MOHSW focal 
point on RVF, for example, was not able to speak about the 
vaccination situation since it was covered by MOL.  It does 
appear that with the spread to Dodoma - in the heart of 
Tanzania with parliamentary session due to open in two weeks, 
- that GOT officials are increasingly concerned, vocal, and 
ready to pursue a comprehensive containment strategy.  Post 
will continue to monitor the situation closely. END COMMENT. 
DELLY