NIGERIA AVIAN FLU: ANIMAL SURVEILLANCE LAUNCHED

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 002535 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS USDA FAS WASHDC FOR FAA/RANDY HAGER USDA FOR APHIS/JOHN SHAW USDA FOR WAYNE MOLSTAD/OSEC USAID/W FOR AFR/WA ANGELA LOZANO E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: TBIO KFLU AMED EAGR EAID NI AVIANFLU SUBJECT: NIGERIA AVIAN FLU: ANIMAL SURVEILLANCE LAUNCHED REF: ABUJA 2238 ABUJA 00002535 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. (SBU) Summary. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization and the Ministry of Agriculture launched on Sept. 21 their European Union/USG-funded program for active animal surveillance of the avian influenza (AI) in Nigeria. Preparations will consist of six to eight weeks of training, followed by surveillance to cover all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Lagos State now requires all poultry farms, regardless of size, to be registered. The state had suffered AI outbreaks on five more farms since early August. A Lagos veterinarian estimated that only 25% of the state's cases of AI were reported. A figure in the poultry sector said AI had killed 50% of the birds on the state's large poultry farms, although this estimate may be high. An Ogun State official said he personally carried out the necessary investigations "which failed to confirm" that President Obasanjo's poultry farm had been infected with AI. End summary. 2.(U) After considerable delay, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO),in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA),launched in Abuja on Sept. 21 the European Union/USG-funded MOA-FAO program for active animal surveillance of the avian influenza (AI). Preparations will consist of six to eight weeks of training, followed by actual surveillance covering all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, whether or not they are currently infected with AI. ¶3. (SBU) The Government of Nigeria (GON) announced on Sept. 20 that meetings of the GON AI Technical Group (working-level officials) and the AI Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee (senior-level officials) are "postponed until further notice." According to the GON, this is to enable the agriculture sector to prepare adequately for the launch of the surveillance program and to ensure the full participation of all relevant parties. (Comment: These canceled meetings demonstrate that the Ministry of Agriculture's AI expertise is not deep enough both to launch AI animal surveillance and to hold these much-needed coordination and information meetings. End comment.) ¶4. (SBU) At the Sept. 13 meeting of the AI donors group at the United Nations Abuja, the FAO AI Task Force team leader discussed his visit two weeks ago to Lagos and Ogun States, which have suffered outbreaks of AI. The Lagos State director of veterinary services (DVS) said the state now required all poultry farms, regardless of size, to be registered, otherwise, the state would close them. Lagos State had divided itself into six zones, to better report on AI's presence and if necessary to better control its spread. ¶5. (SBU) The Lagos DVS said the state had suffered AI outbreaks on at least five more farms since early August. The major constraint in reacting effectively was a shortage of funds, which resulted in very little conclusive information being collected or forwarded. Indications were there were even more outbreaks of AI that were not reported; a Lagos veterinarian estimated that only 25% of the state's cases of AI were reported. A figure in the poultry sector told the FAO official that AI had killed 50% of the birds on Lagos State's large poultry farms. (Comment: Poultry and poultry-product prices in southwestern Nigeria have not risen appreciably recently and do not appear to reflect, at least currently, such an extent of deaths from AI. End comment.) The FAO official observed at Lagos's Onipami live poultry market persons smoking probable sick or dying birds to preserve them for later sale. ¶6. (SBU) The Ogun DVS said the state had suffered no new outbreaks of AI since the last one in August in the Ijebu-Ode Local Government Area. The DVS said he personally carried out the necessary investigations "which failed to confirm" that President Obasanjo's farm had been infected with AI and that reportedly had killed much of the farm's poultry. The farm previously had moved birds to another location and had sold some of its "spent" egg layers, which the DVS said may have led to rumors about AI-related bird deaths on the farm. ¶7. (SBU) The FAO official said many poultry farmers who were owed compensation for their birds believed that foreign donors had made ABUJA 00002535 002.2 OF 002 available to the GON money to pay compensation which GON officials had "pocketed." The GON had made no substantial progress on paying compensation. A World Bank official said delays on the part of the GON continued to delay the distribution of funds from the Bank to combat AI. The Bank will release $10 million to address the issue of compensation. Although the Bank approved in March AI funding for Nigeria, the Ministry of Health had not yet opened the dedicated bank account required for the Bank to release the money. The GON currently was drawing on only a small amount of World Bank funding.