FEB 22 NIGERIA AVIAN FLU FIELD TEAM REPORTS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 000449

SIPDIS

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 FIELD TEAM REPORTS

REF: ABUJA 441


1. Summary. Experts from the CDC, the Nigerian Ministry of
Health, and the WHO visited Kano, Kaduna, Plateau, and
Katsina States, starting on Feb. 18, to ascertain the extent
of AI there. On Feb. 22, they presented their findings.
The team found Kaduna's logistical support to combat AI
extremely weak or even nonexistent. In Katsina, the team
saw strong indications that AI is much more widespread than
is being reported. Plateau's health-care and animal-health
infrastructure is extremely weak. The team found the AI
situation in Kano to be very bad, because the state
essentially has no anti-AI resources on the ground. A
Ministry of Health official termed the GON's response so far
as "inadequate at best." End summary.


2. Experts from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC),
the Nigerian Ministry of Health (MOH),and the World Health
Organization (WHO) visited Kano, Kaduna, Plateau, and
Katsina States, starting on Feb. 18, to ascertain the extent
of avian influenza (AI) there. On Feb. 22, they presented
their findings in Abuja to an information session chaired by
Nigeria's MOH and its director of public health. USG
officials including the agricultural attache, USAID/Nigeria,
and the CDC attended this session. Nigeria's ministers of
agriculture and information attended a portion of the
briefing. The CDC-MOH-WHO team visited state health
facilities including hospitals, clinics, and state
veterinary offices; UN Children's Fund offices, community
leaders, farmers, and members of the Poultry Association of
Nigeria. The team's major findings were:

Kaduna
--------------


3. The team visited several health clinics and hospitals
near the Sambawa Farm, where Nigeria's first outbreak of AI
was recorded. Their discussions with health workers found
no reports of suspected human cases. The team found that an
integrated disease response system is in place, but that it
is very weak. Surveillance is mainly passive, not active,
for both animal and human health. Also, logistical support
to combat AI is extremely weak or even nonexistent. Some
hospital health workers the team spoke with had no knowledge
of AI. These hospitals also had no case-management protocol
in place for suspected cases, as well as no personal
protective equipment (PPE) or viral medicines. Laboratory
workers said they knew how to take human samples, but they
had no sample kits and did not know where to send samples.

Katsina
--------------


4. On Feb. 20, two Katsina farms reported high mortality
rates for poultry. One farm noticed birds dying on Feb. 6
but did not report this before Feb. 8. The team observed
strong indications that AI is much more widespread in
Katsina than is being reported. The team found that state-
level veterinary services lack most basic resources such as
transportation and telephone lines. Katsina State has about
150 poultry farms with fewer than 1,000 birds each, and 15
large poultry farms with more than 10,000 birds per farm.
Team members observed no routine surveillance in place for
either animal or human health. No suspected human cases
have been reported there. The team found that Katsina
health workers have some awareness of AI but that Katsina
laboratory conditions were very poor. Social mobilization on
the issue of AI has begun in Katsina, and the state is very
engaged. Prices for live chickens have dropped from 500
naira to only 100 naira per bird. There is no payment of
compensation to farmers for their birds. Katsina State
officials expressed a strong desire for assistance and
support from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. The
team did not observe any PPEs, medicines, or emergency-
response requirements "on the ground." As in Kaduna, health
workers lacked case-management protocols and instructions on
how handle suspected cases.

Plateau
--------------

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5. The state government has established a response committee
on AI. Four farms have reported high mortality rates, and
samples from these have been sent to the National Veterinary
Research Institute in Vom. The team visited farms whose
management reported on Jan. 28 experiencing high rates of
bird mortality. By Feb. 2, some of these farms had lost
their entire stock. The team met with 24 farm workers, none
of whom appeared to be sick. Some of the affected farms are
in close proximity to restaurants and cafes. All birds at
some farms have died, and culling operations still had not
been completed at other farms. Dead birds were not disposed
of properly and instead were left in the open by the
roadside. Workers had no protective equipment whatsoever
but were simply rounded up and paid to carry out culling.
Plateau's health-care and animal-health infrastructure is
extremely weak.

Kano
--------------


6. The AI situation in Kano is very bad. Surveillance there
is passive both for animal and human health. An estimated
166,000 birds have died so far in Kano. The team learned
that 51 farms in Kano have been affected. Of these, 18 were
depopulated by AI, and culling is taking place at the
remainder but has not been completed. Culling operations
are not taking place in affected areas, even within the
World Organization for Animal Health's recommended zone.
Kano essentially has no resources on the ground to contend
with the dangers of AI.

AI overall in these states
--------------


7. Overall, the teams gave a very gloomy picture of the
situation and the GON's inadequate response to the arrival
of AI in Nigeria. The MOH chair summarized the government's
response as "inadequate at best," and he said much more
needs to be done as quickly as possible. The MOH official
characterized the country's response to date at the local
level as "putting out fires" rather trying to control the
situation. In response to a question from the agricultural
attache, the official confirmed Nigeria is not enforcing
directives supposed to control the internal movement of
poultry.
FUREY