VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHQT #1005 2972235
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 232235Z OCT 08
FM AMEMBASSY QUITO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9513
INFO RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA 7799
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 3231
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ OCT LIMA 2860
RUEHGL/AMCONSUL GUAYAQUIL 3865
RULSDMK/DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION WASHDC

UNCLAS QUITO 001005 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON KFLU EAGR ETRD SOCI TBIO EC
SUBJECT: ECUADOR AVIAN FLU PREPARATIONS AND DEMARCHE RESPONSE 
 
REF: A. STATE 92335 
 
 
¶1.  (U) Summary: The GOE has given considerable thought to the risks 
of avian flu and has programs for prevention and crisis response. 
GOE representatives expressed interest in attending the Ministerial 
Conference on October 25-26 in Egypt, but expressed concerns that 
funding limitations will not allow them to do so.  End summary. 
 
¶2.  (U) On October 3, Econoffs delivered reftel points regarding the 
upcoming Ministerial Conference on October 25-26 to representatives 
from the Ecuadorian Ministry of Health, along with representatives 
from the Ecuadorian Agricultural Health Service (SESA), the 
Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), and 
the poultry industry organization, CONAVE.  The meeting participants 
briefed Econoffs on GOE preparations for a future avian flu crisis. 
 
 
GOE PREPARATIONS: PREVENTION AND RESPONSE 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (U) The GOE has attempted to come up with inter-agency plans for 
prevention of an avian flu outbreak, as well as preparations for the 
legal, health, diagnostic, and communication aspects of an outbreak 
should it occur.  The prevention side of GOE planning has focused on 
raising industry awareness and implementing safety regulations, as 
well as banning poultry-related imports from countries that have 
suffered avian flu outbreaks in the past.  Industry officials said 
that poultry consumption in Ecuador fell by 25% after the outbreaks 
in 2005, which has led them to promote aggressively awareness of the 
risks. 
 
¶4.  (U) The GOE is attempting to implement standardized production 
controls on small and medium producers, since the GOE feels that 
large producers already follow appropriate sanitary practices.  They 
noted, however, that there is little they can do to enforce sanitary 
regulations among the many "backyard producers" of poultry.  The GOE 
also attempts to monitor wetlands and other areas populated by 
migratory birds in an attempt to identify outbreaks.  They perform 
bird censuses among domestic birds, and enlist the help of hunting 
groups for monitoring outbreaks among wild birds.  They lament an 
overall lack of funding for their programs, however. 
 
¶4.  (U) For crisis response, the Ministry of Public Health has 
laboratories, hospital rooms, and protective suits dedicated to any 
potential outbreak.  Ministry officials stated that they attempted 
to be "epidemiologically vigilant" in monitoring flu outbreaks. 
They were working with hospitals to promote readiness for a larger 
crisis, but noted that most facilities lacked sufficient equipment 
like respirators to be able to respond to a major pandemic. 
 
CONFERENCE IN EGYPT 
------------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Meeting participants expressed interest in attending the 
conference in Egypt, but expressed concern that funding difficulties 
might prevent any GOE representatives from attending.  They noted 
that the attendees would probably be from the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs, but added that the MFA was not well-informed about avian 
flu issues.  Econoff followed up with the Director General for 
Multilateral Affairs at the MFA, who sent a reply on October 23rd 
saying that the GOE was trying to arrange for someone from the 
Ecuadorian mission in Egypt to attend the conference. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Despite the GOE's well-articulated plans for crisis 
response, Econoffs have doubts about the ability of the government 
to mount a coherent response to a major outbreak.  The resources in 
laboratories and hospitals are "dedicated" in name only, and are 
used for other activities as needed.  Although the representatives 
at the meeting appeared fully aware of the seriousness of the avian 
flu threat, it was unclear how much this has penetrated into other 
elements of the GOE. 
 
Hodges