BAHRAIN'S AVIAN INFLUENZA PREPAREDNESS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAMA 001605

SIPDIS

NEA/ARPI, OES
AMMAN FOR JWHITTLESEY
STATE PASS TO USDA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: TBIO KSCA SENV EAGR ECON PREL BA WHO FAO
SUBJECT: BAHRAIN'S AVIAN INFLUENZA PREPAREDNESS

REF: STATE 195603


1. This an action cable; please see paragraph 10.

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SUMMARY
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2. (U) Ministry of Public Health Director of Public Health
Dr. Sameer Abdulla Khalfan found International Partnership on
Avian and Pandemic Influenza (IPAPI) meeting summaries
(reftel) useful and consistent with the focus of an October
24 emergency GCC meeting on Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)
preparedness. Khalfan said the GCC is calling for a
regionally-coordinated response. He highlighted a number of
steps the GOB is taking to meet the Bird Flu threat. He
noted that the Ministry of Agriculture has ordered Bird Flu
vaccine for Bahraini poultry and requested any information on
the specifications and use of the bird vaccine. The
importation of live birds has been banned. Poultry meat must
be certified Bird Flu-free. Khalfan acknowledged that these
measures would be inadequate to stem the entry of wild birds
into Bahrain, which lies in their migratory path. He said
the Health Ministry has ordered enough Tamiflu to treat up to
a third of Bahrain's population. The GOB has allocated BD
448 thousand (approximately $1.2 million) to combat Bird Flu
and other animal diseases. End Summary.

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IPAPI AND GCC MEETINGS REVIEWED
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3. (U) Econoff called on Ministry of Public Health Director
of Public Health Dr. Sameer Abdulla Khalfan October 30 to
discuss reftel summaries of the first meeting of the
International Partnership on Avian and Pandemic Influenza
(IPAPI). Khalfan said he found the summaries useful and
noted that the focus was consistent with Gulf Cooperation
Council (GCC) Health Ministries' concern over Bird Flu.


4. (U) Khalfan said he had attended an emergency GCC meeting
in Riyadh October 24 to discuss the most effective
precautions against Avian Influenza amid warnings that the
virus poses a threat to the Gulf region. He said the GCC has
called for a regionally-coordinated response to the Bird Flu
threat and that Bahrain is readying a robust precautionary
program directed by a committee composed of officials from
the Ministries of Agriculture and Health and headed by
Undersecretary for Agriculture Kadhem Hashim Al Hashimi.

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AGRICULTURE MINISTRY INITIATIVES
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5. (U) Khalfan said the Ministry of Agriculture is testing
for Bird Flu at farms throughout the country on a continuous
basis and is spraying farms with disinfectant at no cost to
farmers. He added that the Ministry of Agriculture is also
conducting prevention awareness seminars for farmers.


6. (U) Khalfan added that the Ministry of Agriculture has
ordered four million doses of Bird Flu vaccine to be
administered to local poultry. The doses are set to arrive
in February 2006. He was unfamiliar with the specifications
of the vaccine and expressed concern over whether the viral
specimen it utilizes is non-living or live-attenuated, which
contains live viral specimens rendered too weak to reproduce.
He requested any available information the USG may have on
the poultry vaccine, including the advisability of its use.


7. (U) Khalfan said that only those countries certified as
free of Bird Flu would be allowed to export poultry meat to
Bahrain. He said the Prime Minister had issued a decree
banning the importation of live birds from any country.
Ministry of Agriculture officials are stationed at all major
national entry points, including the Bahrain International
Airport, the King Fahad Causeway and all sea ports. Any live
birds intercepted are killed on the spot or returned to their
country of origin. However, Khalfan acknowledged that these
measures would be ineffective in stemming the entry of wild
birds into Bahrain. (Note: Bahrain is in the path of
autumnal migration of temperate Asian birds that may carry
Bird Flu. End Note.)

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HEALTH MINISTRY PREPARATIONS
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8. (U) Khalfan said the Ministry of Health is ramping up its
facilities to be able to test humans for Bird Flu. He said
the Ministry will also vaccinate bird handlers and poultry
workers to protect them against a routine flu virus. He
explained that workers contracting a normal flu could
consequently suffer weakened immune systems, making them more
susceptible to Bird Flu (H5N1). Khalfan noted that the GOB
has ordered sufficient doses of Tamiflu to treat up to a
third of Bahrain's population.

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ADDITIONAL FUNDS ALLOCATED
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9. (U) The English-language Gulf Daily News reported November
1 that the GOB has thus far allocated BD 448 thousand
(approximately $1.2 million) to combat Bird Flu and other
animal diseases. Part of the money will go to expand the
Ministry of Agriculture's animal and avian quarantine center.
The center currently has the capacity to house twenty
thousand birds.


10. (U) Action Request: Per Khalfan's request in paragraph 6,
please provide any available official USG information on
currently available H5N1 vaccines for birds, including the
advisability of their use.


MONROE