Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05DUSHANBE1856
2005-11-23 11:28:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Dushanbe
Cable title:  

TAJIKISTAN: GOVT UNABLE TO HANDLE POTENTIAL AVIAN FLU

Tags:  PREL PGOV ECON EAGR EAID TBIO SENV KSCA SOCI TI KSTH WHO 
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UNCLAS DUSHANBE 001856 

SIPDIS


STATE FOR EUR/CACEN, SA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV ECON EAGR EAID TBIO SENV KSCA SOCI TI KSTH WHO
SUBJECT: TAJIKISTAN: GOVT UNABLE TO HANDLE POTENTIAL AVIAN FLU
OUTBREAK

REF: STATE 00209622

This cable is in response to STATE 00209622: Request for
Information on Avian and Pandemic Influenza

PREPAREDNESS/COMMUNICATION

UNCLAS DUSHANBE 001856

SIPDIS


STATE FOR EUR/CACEN, SA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV ECON EAGR EAID TBIO SENV KSCA SOCI TI KSTH WHO
SUBJECT: TAJIKISTAN: GOVT UNABLE TO HANDLE POTENTIAL AVIAN FLU
OUTBREAK

REF: STATE 00209622

This cable is in response to STATE 00209622: Request for
Information on Avian and Pandemic Influenza

PREPAREDNESS/COMMUNICATION


1. Head Veterinarian, Dr. Mulojon Amirbekov, explicitly stated
that Tajikistan is not prepared to combat an Avian Flu outbreak.
Tajikistan does not have a strategy for containing a pandemic
if it occurs; however, various government ministries have taken
measures, within their capabilities, to avoid an outbreak. The
Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Health are the lead
departments working to devise preventative steps. The Main
Board of Veterinary Service and State Veterinary Inspection,
housed under the Ministry of Agriculture, is the most informed
department and is spearheading prevention. Deputy Minister of
Health, Zievuddin Avgonov is the primary point of contact in the
Ministry of Health.


2. Amirbekov admitted the government does not understand the
seriousness of Avian Flu, paying minimal attention to the issue.
There are no specific funds for fighting an influenza outbreak.
The Veterinary Service has brought this problem to the
government's attention. Amirbekov believes the Prime Minister
would be an influential person who could give the issue due
attention, but he has not yet acted.


3. The Ministries of Health and Agriculture recognize the
importance of a collaborative international effort to prevent
Avian Flu from proliferating and would like to join the
International Partnership on Avian and Pandemic Influenza. The
government, given its scant resources however, has decided to
take the "wait and see" strategy and will not join unless Avian
Flu is at its doorsteps.


4. Tajikistan is cooperating with regional governments only on
an ad hoc basis by implementing border controls and cooperating

on testing. There is no formal regional working group on Avian
Flu. Tajikistan's strongest partner is Kazakhstan where they
are sending sample strains to be tested at the Institute of
Agriculture and Veterinary Institute in Aqtau, Kazakhstan. Two
veterinarian specialists await funding for a training trip to
Kazakhstan to learn how to combat Avian Flu. Amirbekov hopes to
send three to four experts from every region to Kazakhstan for
training. The cost would be $500-$600 per person.


5. Tajikistan has requested financial assistance from
international NGOs and USAID, but has not yet received positive
responses. Amirbekov lamented in the press the lack of funds
for prevention. According to him, Tajikistan needs $100,000 to
prevent an outbreak of Avian Flu. Avgonov has also claimed the
need for six million dollars' worth of vaccinations. The
country does not produce flu vaccines and thus far has not
bought any vaccines or medication due to the prohibitive cost.
Tajikistan is open to assistance from the United States through
bilateral or multilateral means.


6. Vaccines, medicine, or other supplies from donor countries
will be subject to import laws unless the Ministry waives import
duties on an emergency basis. Amirbekov claims there is a
liability shield in place for foreign donors. All medicines are
inspected prior to use.


7. The government's public statements about Avian Flu have
focused on the limited measures the government has taken to
prevent the flu. They have not educated the public effectively
about personal safety measures. Avgonov admitted to PolOff that
even medical professionals had asked for information about the
virus. The Ministry of Health designed an educational piece for
public dissemination, but it has not been produced due to lack


of funds. The Veterinary Service, in conjunction with the World
Food Program, prepared a brochure to train farmers to detect the
virus. Representatives from both Ministries appeared on state
television to inform the public and alert farmers to sources of
help.


8. It is questionable how forthright the government will be in
announcing any cases of Avian Flu. Earlier this year, there was
a suspected cholera outbreak in northern Tajikistan, which the
government attempted to cover-up and would not admit was
cholera. The economic and political ramifications of an Avian
Flu outbreak might encourage the government to remain silent and
conceal any cases.

SURVEILLANCE/DETECTION


9. The Veterinary Service and the Ministry of Health have
implemented several measures in efforts to prevent Avian Flu
from entering Tajikistan. The government banned poultry
products from ten countries including Russia, Kazakhstan, China,
and Turkey. Tajikistan now imports 95 percent of chicken and
poultry products from Brazil, Canada, and the United States.
Ninety-five percent of eggs are imported from Iran.


10. The Chief Veterinarian believes that because vaccines are
prohibitively expensive, the most effective and easiest way to
stave off a pandemic would be to eliminate or quarantine the
birds. The government is working on developing the country's
own supply of healthy poultry products and therefore has imposed
a quarantine on all of the country's large poultry farms. In
addition, Tajikistan has begun to more closely control its
border with Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and China. The Head
Veterinarian sought permission from the State Committee for
Environmental Protection and Forestry to shoot migratory birds
and test them for the virus. Experts from the Veterinary
Service have begun to inspect chicken and poultry products in
the local markets and on all poultry farms.


11. Tajikistan used diagnostics equipment purchased from Russia
to test 200 strain samples at facilities in country. However,
Kazakhstan has more sensitive and reliable equipment and the
previously tested strains are being sent to Kazakhstan to be
retested. Because Tajikistan relies on Kazakhstan, there will
inevitably be a lag.


12. Tajikistan's veterinarians have also developed a project for
monitoring and studying immune-biological features of pathogenic
organisms for Avian Flu, which they hope to implement in
2006-2008. However, they lack funds to carry out the project.
The most requested funding is to train Tajik experts to monitor
and detect the problem.


RESPONSE/CONTAINMENT


13. Tajikistan has no official plan to respond to an outbreak of
even one case of Avian Flu. Due to a lack of funds, the
government cannot stockpile antiviral medication, vaccines or
protective gear for the population. If a case occurs, the
government would attempt to localize it by quarantining the farm
or local village, eliminating infected birds, and disinfecting
contaminated facilities. Tajikistan purchased three tons of
disinfectants from Russia for these purposes. There is no
response plan in place to deal with a human contraction of the
virus.
HOAGLAND


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