FEB 22 NIGERIA AVIAN FLU UPDATE

UNCLAS ABUJA 000441

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

FOR OES NANCY POWELL
USDA FOR FAS/OA, FAS/DLP, FAS/ICD AND FAS/ITP
USDA ALSO FOR APHIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: TBIO KFLU EAID AMED EAGR NI
SUBJECT: FEB 22 NIGERIA AVIAN FLU UPDATE

REF: ABUJA 437


1. (SBU) Summary. The GON announced Feb. 21 that AI has been
confirmed in an eighth state, Gombe State. The Chief
Veterinary Officer (CVO) said Nigeria has 170 surveillance
sites nationwide where the disease is most likely to be
encountered, and the GON has tested more than 1,200 samples
of suspected animal disease cases over the last few months.
The GON continues considering how to offer compensation to
bird owners. The Ministry of Agriculture has adopted a one-
page checklist that will help local officials decide how
suspect birds should be treated, but the approach of this
checklist likely is too cautious and may need to be
strengthened. End summary.


2. (U) Economic officer and U.S. Mission personnel attended
on Feb. 22 an information session at the Government of
Nigeria's (GON) Avian Influenza (AI) Crisis Management
Center. A map dated Feb. 21 and issued by the Nigerian
Animal Disease Information System showed the confirmed
presence of AI (farms and wild birds) in eight states:
Gombe, Bauchi, Katsina, Kano, Zamfara, Kaduna, the Federal
Capital Territory, and Plateau. Gombe State was the new
addition to this list.


3. (U) A GON official said Nigeria is implementing active
and passive surveillance measures, and that any outbreak of
AI should be reported to the World Organization for Animal
Health within 24 hours. Nigeria has established 170
surveillance sites nationwide where the disease is most
likely to be encountered, and the GON now has tested more
than 1,200 samples of suspected animal disease cases over
the last few months. The official explained that reports of
concern will go to the state veterinary services, and then
to the federal director of livestock and pest-control
services. Kano State has 52 affected farms, while about
160,000 birds in the state have been affected.


4. (U) One participant cautioned that culling birds itself
poses a threat, in that the persons and equipment involved
in these operations can spread the virus if not sufficiently
sterilized. A Nigerian official said the GON continues
considering how to offer compensation to bird owners.


5. (SBU) During the meeting, the GON passed out a one-page,
primary-stage "decision tool for depopulation [culling] of
poultry farms." The document was based on information
provided by the European Commission's regional project on
animal disease surveillance. The checklist, which includes
six factors, is to guide on-the-ground "investigation team
leaders" in the absence of laboratory results to enable them
to conclude "beyond a reasonable doubt" that a suspicious
incident is likely AI. According to the checklist,
"Whenever three or more statements are true, you may make
the decision to hand the responsibility for destocking
(depopulation),decontamination (disinfection),and
compensation to the appropriate state veterinary officer."
Also, "If only one or two statements are true, you may not
request to depopulate the farm, and you will keep the farm
in quarantine until laboratory results are received or until
further notice." In discussions afterward, a visiting U.S.
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) official told the USG
officials present the GON should not give all six factors
equal weight, and that considering AI's threat, the
requirement for three "yeses" was too steep. CDC officials
in Nigeria may ask the UN Food and Agriculture Organization
in Abuja to approach the GON about strengthening these
primary tripwires.
FUREY