Avian and Pandemic Influenza Information from

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MINSK 001432

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: TBIO SENV ECON EAGR EAID PREL BO
SUBJECT: Avian and Pandemic Influenza Information from
Belarus

Ref: A) SECSTATE 209622, B) MINSK


1. This is a response to ref A action request. All
information is from Emboff meetings (ref B) with
Belarusian Ministry of Health (MoH) officials, public
briefings, and press statements.

A Plan for Avian Influenza
--------------


2. The GOB has a preparedness plan/strategy for
preventing avian flu (AI) from becoming a pandemic and
containing a pandemic once it occurs. The MoH informed
Emboffs that the plan could be found on the Republic's
Center of Hygiene and Epidemiology's website
(http://www.rcheph.by/),but Post's efforts to find the
report have been unsuccessful. [Note: Post will send a
hardcopy of the plan to the EUR/UMB.] Deputy Minister
of the MoH Mikhail Rimzha is the key figure coordinating
the AI campaign.


3. The GOB created the plan without coordinating with
the WHO representational office in Minsk, but according
to Rimzha, its strategy meets all WHO regulations. The
FAO, OIE, and IPAPI are not represented in Belarus,
although the GOB ratified the FAO constitution in June
and became a member on November 18. Rimzha claimed the
GOB is also cooperating with research institutes in
Germany, the U.S., London, and Russia.


4. According to the GOB, Belarus is not receiving
international financial assistance for combating avian
flu and the only donor ready to provide Belarus with
extra funding is the World Bank. Officials from the MoH
expressed their need for temperature measurement
equipment to be used at airports and downplayed the need
for microscopes and other technical assistance, although
they admitted they would not refuse any donations.

Detection and Action
--------------


5. The GOB first banned poultry imports from all
countries where AI has been discovered. The MoH then
complied with recommendations for its regional
monitoring and research centers to detect immediately
the bird flu should it appear. It also has prepared a
list of indicators for local veterinarians to alert them
to a potential outbreak. All border entrances and
airports are staffed with MoH specialists/doctors on a
24-hour basis to check the health of people entering the
country and hospitals received guidelines for AI
diagnosis. The Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) ordered
tests for AI on poultry farms and on wild birds within a
10 km radius of those farms. The MoA has also
intensified border control over imports, raised
awareness among border guards and customs workers, and
increased sanitary control at poultry farms.


6. The MoH is currently working on a resolution to
create an interdepartmental council to better coordinate
the GOB's efforts to prevent an AI pandemic. The
council would include all agencies involved in the GOB
plan, such as the MoA, Ministry of Defense, the
Committee on Aviation, and the Border Guards. Post does
not know how often they would meet.

Vaccinations
--------------


7. The government has begun massive vaccinations in
preparation for the yearly flu season, which is expected
to begin in January. The MoH's goal is to provide
Russian produced vaccines to 600,00 people within high
risk groups, such as children, the elderly, medics and
doctors, poultry workers, and social asylum patients.
As of November 3, only 115,000 people had been
vaccinated. The MoH did not mention any poultry
vaccination programs or development of an H5N1 vaccine.


8. Due to its high cost (Eur 50),the GOB is stockpiling
a locally produced medicine called Remantodin as a
substitute for Tamiflu. Although the MoH claims
Remantodin has the same effect as Tamiflu, specialists
have told Emboffs that it would be ineffective in
alleviating AI symptoms.

Awareness
--------------


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9. The media has informed the public about AI and its
consequences, but Post has not seen or heard of a public
awareness campaign, although the plan calls for such a
campaign among agricultural workers and animal handlers.
The press reports on AI outbreaks in other countries and
the GOB's preparations for an outbreak.

Constraints
--------------


10. The GOB claims to have a solid plan to detect and
immediately isolate an AI outbreak. Post, however, has
no way to assess the validity of this statement, nor can
we predict how truthful the GOB would be in reporting an
AI pandemic should it occur. On November 10, for
example, only the independent press reported mysterious
pigeon deaths in Brest and the subsequent testing for AI
at an epidemiology center. [Note: The government
concluded on November 14 that the birds froze to death.]
Plans of emergency, such as quarantines, culling, and
disinfections are included in the GOB strategy.
National legislation would not prevent this plan from
taking effect because, in the end, the President makes
the final decision. We anticipate that GOB bureaucratic
procedures would hinder efforts to receive information
about a pandemic in a timely manner. In order to meet
with GOB officials, Emboffs must first send diplomatic
notes to the MFA at least one week in advance.

KROL