VZCZCXRO8202
OO RUEHCI
DE RUEHKA #0569/01 0990428
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 090428Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY DHAKA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3742
INFO RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 9792
RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 9018
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 1583
RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 7860
RUEHGO/AMEMBASSY RANGOON 2529
RUEHCI/AMCONSUL CALCUTTA
RUEHKU/AMEMBASSY KUWAIT 0240
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC//ISA/NESA
RUEKDIA/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC//J2/J5
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI//J2/J4/J5

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DHAKA 000569 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT PLEASE PASS TO AIAG/HOLLIS SUMMERS, AIAG/TONY NEWTON AND 
AIAG/NICHOLAS STUDZINSKI 
DELHI PLEASE PASS TO FAS/OLIVER FLAKE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TBIO KFLU PREL PGOV BG
SUBJECT:  BANGLADESH MOVES ON BIRD FLU, BUT NOT AS QUICKLY AS DONORS 
HOPE 
 
REF: (A) DHAKA 533, (B) DHAKA 480, (C) DHAKA 117 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY.  GOB actions do not have a sense of urgency, and 
the FAO/WHO approved National Response Plan is not being closely 
followed.  The donor community is trying to develop a means to urge 
GOB action; key to that is the current FAO technical assessment 
reported septel.  END SUMMARY. 
 
THE LOCAL CONSULTATIVE GROUP MEETING APRIL 3. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) FAO began by briefing the 35 attendees on the situation to 
date, namely that Avian Influenza is still spreading in poultry in 
Bangladesh and has not been contained.  The GOB, however, is not 
treating the outbreak with a real sense of urgency.  The GOB is 
enacting a one kilometer infected zone (instead of three kilometers 
per National Response Plan), and even within that one kilometer zone 
culling is not 100%, instead seeming to opt for a farm to farm 
selective process.  FAO substantially revised the index date and the 
index location of the H5N1 outbreak from February 22 in Savar to 
February 5 in Jamalpur.  Details of compensation for culled birds 
are still vague, but compensation is being discussed for 'backyard 
poultry' only, not for the commercial farms.  Approximately 70,000 
birds have been culled to date, but there is no official report on 
the number of birds that have died from avian influenza. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) The key decisions taken by the Group were first, donor 
groups need to establish areas of responsibility to avoid 
duplication of effort.  Completing and disseminating the matrix of 
donor activities is a first step towards that goal.  Second, 
principal officers of bilateral and multilateral missions, NGOs and 
the private sector must urge the GOB to treat the avian influenza 
outbreak with urgency, emphasizing the international dimension of 
this problem.  The main issues for immediate GOB action: 
 
      Communication.  GOB communication seems to be lacking both 
with the public and with the donor community.  UNICEF is frustrated 
that additional public service announcements are bogged down in 
bureaucratic approval stages and feels that the GOB is acting as if 
the situation is contained and no more communication is necessary. 
Also, donors expressed frustration that the GOB's focus is on "what 
can you give" rather than identifying what the GOB needs. 
 
     Implement the National Response Plan.  The GOB's failure to 
follow its own guidelines for culling is one key indicator that the 
plan itself is not being followed.  There is an international 
dimension to this outbreak, and the international community would 
like to establish an 'advisory board' to have contact with the 
National Advisory Committee at the highest levels, and possibly with 
parallels at other levels throughout the organizations responding to 
the outbreak. 
 
     Use Available Resources.  The World Bank proposal for $22 
million in grants and credit for animal surveillance remains in 
limbo awaiting GOB action on several prerequisites.  Likewise, the 
GOB has been reluctant to move forward on USAID identified local 
currency funds available for use in response to the outbreak. 
 
FAO ACTION 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Dr. Gleeson, FAO Regional Manager, Emergency Center for 
Control of Transboundary Animal Diseases, arrived from Bangkok April 
4 to undertake an assessment of the situation.  Dr. Gleeson met with 
the donor community on Friday April 6 and briefed the Advisor for 
Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock on April 7, reported septel. 
This visit is a critical step in emphasizing the severity of the 
situation and advocating GOB action. 
 
GOB ACTION (AS OF APRIL 5) 
 
¶5. (SBU) Information from Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock: 
Inspected Farms                           19,303 
Number of Inspected Poultries         16,594,098 
No. of Farms with Confirmed H5 Virus          19 
No. of Districts with Confirmed H5 Virus      06 
     Dhaka, Gazipur, Narayanganj, Tangail, Jamalpur, Jessore 
No. of Culled Farms                           25 
     Dhaka 8 (Savar-7, Turagh-1), Gazipur-4, Jamalpur-4, 
 
DHAKA 00000569  002 OF 002 
 
 
     Narayanganj-7, Tangail-1, Jessore-1 
Culled on April 2, 2007                     None 
Culling up to April 2, 2007               69,897 
 
For reference, estimates are that there are between 180 to 200 
million chickens and 30 million ducks in Bangladesh. 
 
¶6. (SBU)  WHO reports that antiviral drugs (Tamiflu) are given to 
workers engaged in the culling operations; this is in accordance 
with WHO recommendations that these workers both wear appropriate 
protective equipment and take antiviral drugs. 
 
USG ACTION 
 
¶7.  (SBU) PACOM has identified Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) 
kits that are available for shipment to Bangladesh.  Currently, a 
placeholder figure of 10,000 units is being used, pending USAID 
officer's determination of the actual usage rates of PPE. 
 
¶8. (SBU) USAID's grant agreement with FAO on avian influenza has 
been extended and additional funds can be added to the agreement. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Post has created a webpage on the State Department intranet 
to act as a repository for information and documents relevant to 
Avian Influenza in Dhaka and to facilitate sharing.  It is available 
at http://10.208.1.12/dhkavianinfluenza.htm. 
 
BUTENIS