AVIAN FLU: DUTCH ASSESS PREPAREDNESS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 THE HAGUE 003033

SIPDIS

STATE FOR G, OES, OES/IHA, EUR/WE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAGR ECON KSCA PREL SOCI TBIO NL FAO WHO OIE
SUBJECT: AVIAN FLU: DUTCH ASSESS PREPAREDNESS

REF: THE HAGUE O2634


1. SUMMARY: The GONL has initiated a series of steps to
enhance its ability to deal with a possible outbreak of avian
influenza. Measures include a nationwide evaluation of
regional preparedness, stockpiling anti-viral treatments,
information campaigns to answer common questions about the
virus, requirements to isolate poultry from migratory birds,
and advisories for travelers to regions susceptible to avian
influenza. END SUMMARY.


2. The Ministry of Health has gone on the offensive to
prepare health care providers for a possible outbreak of
avian influenza. The Ministry recently updated its national
action plan, which outlines the GONL's policy and operational
strategy to guide local and national responses to isolated
and large-scale outbreaks. It has also charged each of the
nation's 24 health care regions to develop regional action
plans, and recently commissioned the Dutch Health
Inspectorate to assess regional preparedness. In its
November 2 report, the Inspectorate noted that half of the
regions were not sufficiently prepared at present for a
pandemic. It estimated, however, that 20 of the 24 health
care regions would be fully prepared to respond to a
large-scale outbreak by June 2006. Ministry officials hope
GONL participation in the EU's avian influenza crisis
management exercise, scheduled in the Netherlands for
November 23-24, will speed regional planning. "Textbook"
exercises conforming to the EU model will be held in two as
yet unannounced regions in the Netherlands.


3. Health Ministry efforts include the stockpiling of
anti-viral treatments. The GONL has ordered five million
treatments -- mostly Tamiflu but some Relenza in case the
virus develops Tamiflu resistance -- sufficient to treat 30
percent of the Dutch population. The order will
substantially augment the existing stockpile of 220,000
treatments. The Ministry expects delivery of 2.5 million
treatments before the end of the year, and the remainder in
mid-2007.


4. The GONL has also taken measures to educate the public on
avian influenza and the risks to human health. The Ministry
of Health has posted basic information on its website with
links to the WHO and to the Dutch National Institute for
Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). RIVM, a major
research institute for the Ministry, has created a webpage
similar to the "General Information" section of the USG
website www.pandemicflu.gov to answer common questions about
the virus, including risk of transmission, availability of
treatments and steps the GONL has taken to prevent the
virus's spread. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also
taken steps to educate the public, advising travelers to
Turkey, Indonesia, Thailand and other Asian countries where
avian influenza has been confirmed or suspected on measures
to prevent further spread of the virus.


5. To prevent an outbreak of the virus in the Dutch poultry
industry, the Ministry of Agriculture imposed measures
October 31 requiring poultry farms to isolate their poultry
from other birds by either keeping them indoors or covering
forage area with netting, and prohibiting the use of surface
water in areas with a high number of migratory birds.
Similar restrictions were imposed in late August, following
the discovery of the avian influenza virus in Russia, but
were subsequently relaxed. In addition, new measures require
transporters carrying poultry or eggs to countries outside
the EU or to countries where the avian influenza virus has
been identified to disinfect their cargo containers at
designated locations on their return to the Netherlands. To
comply with European Commission (EC) prohibitions on the
import of poultry, birds and feathers from designated
countries and with the EC's temporary import ban on pet
birds, all Dutch air and sea ports have elevated inspections
for illegal importation of birds and products.


6. Despite these recent steps, Ministry of Agriculture
officials consider the situation in the Netherlands to be
stable. Consumption of poultry and eggs has not dropped,
according to Ministry officials, as has been the case in some
other countries. The GONL is focused now on helping
countries in Eastern Europe prevent the spread of the virus,
and has sent experts to Romania to assist with emergency
operations there. (Note: The Dutch gained valuable expertise
on containing avian influenza in 2003, when a major outbreak
of highly pathogenic (H7N7) avian influenza hit its
commercial poultry flock. Nearly 26 million birds were
slaughtered to control the outbreak. END NOTE.) Health and
Agriculture Ministry officials plan to attend the Geneva
conference November 7-9, which they see as crucial for
preparing an Asian response.


7. The long-term fear in the Dutch government is that
migratory birds will take the disease to the Nile delta area
and to East Africa, where the veterinary infrastructure is
weak and resources to contain any outbreak limited. Birds
from these areas will migrate back to western Europe next
spring, putting western European countries at risk for
massive exposure.
BLAKEMAN