VZCZCXRO8842
RR RUEHRN
DE RUEHCG #0022/01 0231149
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 231149Z JAN 08
FM AMCONSUL CHENNAI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1427
INFO RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHDC
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHDC
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA 0074
RUEHCG/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0188
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEIDN/DNI WASHINGTON DC
RUEHRN/USMISSION UN ROME 0001

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CHENNAI 000022 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT PLS PASS CDC (NCOX, SBLOUNT) AND TO HHS (STEIGER, HICKEY) 
 
 
E.O. 12356: N/A 
TAGS: KFLU TBIO EAGR CASC SENV ECON ETRD AMED IN
SUBJECT: SOUTH INDIA PREPARES TO DEFEND AGAINST AVIAN INFLUENZA 
THREAT 
 
REFS:  A) KOLKATA 25, B) KOLKATA 24 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  The preparedness of India's southern states to 
manage a potential outbreak of Avian Influenza (AI) in the region is 
mixed.  Tamil Nadu appears better prepared than the other southern 
states, but a severe outbreak is likely to stretch both the state 
and national governments' abilities, as influenza-fighting drugs 
like Tamiflu are in short supply.  Speaking in Chennai on January 
19, National Minister for Health Anbumani Ramadoss defended the 
decision to remove Tamiflu from the open market, arguing that misuse 
of the drug might lead to the development of more dangerous forms of 
AI.  End Summary. 
 
Health Minister defends Tamiflu decision 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) Defending his ministry's decision to remove the AI-fighting 
drug Tamiflu from the open market, the federal Minister of Health, 
Anbumani Ramdoss told the press in Chennai on January 19 that making 
the drug available outside of official government channels would 
likely cause people to use it to treat more common forms of 
influenza or other diseases.  This, he argued, could encourage the 
AI virus to develop resistance to the drug.  The press had 
highlighted criticism of the policy in the wake of the recent AI 
outbreak in West Bengal. 
 
¶3. (SBU) State health authorities in the South, which hold few -- if 
any -- stocks of Tamiflu, blame high prices and non-availability in 
the open market.  The Director of Tamil Nadu's Public Health 
Department told us that the GoI's ban on the sale of Tamiflu is 
forcing states to depend on the federal government for supplies. 
 
Mixed preparedness for human AI cases in the South 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Tamil Nadu is the southern state best prepared to manage a 
potential AI outbreak.  Public health authorities have already moved 
stocks of Tamiflu into the districts of Salem and Erode, the state's 
poultry centers.  The state's Director of Public Health told us that 
all district level referral hospitals are capable of handling cases 
of AI infections in humans.  He also said that Tamil Nadu has at 
least 1500 doses of Tamiflu available. 
 
¶5. (SBU) The Director of Andhra Pradesh's Health Services Department 
told us that the state has activated isolation wards in six 
hospitals that could handle human patients infected with AI.  He 
also said that each of these hospitals has 100 doses of Tamiflu. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Karnataka's Assistant Director of Public Health told us 
that the state has only three hospitals capable of providing 
adequate isolation wards.  He also said that none of these hospitals 
has Tamiflu yet, although the state is working to procure adequate 
stocks. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Kerala's Director of Public Health told us that the state 
had four hospitals capable of handling human AI cases adequately. 
She also said that Kerala had no stocks on Tamiflu, noting that the 
price of USD 2 per dose made it difficult for her state to afford. 
 
Animal health authorities in the South on high alert 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) The West Bengal outbreak has put animal health authorities 
in the South on high alert, especially in high-risk areas.  Rapid 
action teams, with staff from both public health and animal health 
departments, are on alert with orders to cull birds if an outbreak 
is detected.  Animal health authorities in all southern states 
report that their staffs have trained to identify AI symptoms and 
take preventive measures. 
 
¶9. (SBU) The Director of Andhra Pradesh's Animal Husbandry 
Department told us that his department has identified six districts 
in the state as being at especially high risk for AI.  He also said 
that he has reminded livestock inspectors in these areas to remain 
vigilant and pay special attention to poultry flocks in their 
respective jurisdictions. 
 
¶10. (SBU) Similarly, Tamil Nadu's animal health authorities are 
 
CHENNAI 00000022  002 OF 002 
 
 
increasing their vigilance.  The state's Director of Animal 
Husbandry told us that his inspectors had increased their 
inspections of large poultry farms, in particular. 
 
¶11. (SBU) January 23 news reports indicate death of several country 
chicken in Kuchipalayam and Vettapalayam villages in Tamil Nadu's 
poultry and egg hub.  The Joint Director of State Animal Husbandry 
Department indicated that the poultry deaths were due to Ranikhet 
disease. 
 
¶12. (SBU) Karnataka has stepped up its vigil against AI and is 
monitoring the situation.  The Director of the Department of Animal 
Husbandry has reported in the media that surveillance in high 
density poultry areas around major Karnataka cities/towns such as 
Bangalore, Mangalore, Hubli, Dharwad, Gulburga, Mysore and Belgaum 
has increased.  Closer watch is also in place on bird sanctuaries 
and destinations such as Kokkarebellur, Rangangathittu, Haladi, 
Kadalkere and Belandur.  The Secretary of Karnataka's Animal 
Husbandry Department D.V. Prasad will head a committee to monitor 
the Karnataka situation.  As of January 22, there is no case 
reported of AI. 
AI fears add to poultry industry's woes 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶13. (SBU) Southern poultry farmers were facing difficulties even 
before the West Bengal AI outbreak.  The rise in international 
commodity prices has raised the price of feed, pressuring margins 
for farmers.  The managing director of a South Indian poultry farm 
told us that southern farmers fear that the West Bengal AI outbreak 
may lead to a re-imposition of a recently lifted ban on Indian 
poultry imports into lucrative West Asian markets.  He said that 
consumption of poultry products in India is already slumping due to 
rising prices as farmers attempt to pass higher costs on to 
consumers.  The West Asian markets, he said, offer Indian producers 
better prices than local markets, adding that southern poultry 
farmers will have difficulties making ends meet if West Asian 
markets are blocked again. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶14. (SBU) Comment:  A large-scale outbreak of AI in South India 
would strain severely the resources of any of the South's state 
governments.  The federal government's control of critical resources 
like Tamiflu means that the efficiency of state-federal interactions 
will be critical in managing an AI crisis.  If farmers, already 
hurting from current market conditions, believe that the government 
will not compensate them effectively for culled birds, then many may 
be reluctant to cooperate fully, making the task of controlling an 
outbreak that much harder.  End comment. 
 
¶15. (U) This message was coordinated with Embassy New Delhi.