FEB 27 NIGERIA AVIAN FLU UPDATE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ABUJA 000480

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 27 NIGERIA AVIAN FLU UPDATE

REF: ABUJA 449


1. (SBU) Summary. On February 26, the GON confirmed the
presence of AI in two more states, Yobe and Nasarawa. Though
not confirmed, it is almost certainly in Jigawa. Currently
four states and the Federal Capital Territory have had
samples confirmed H5N1 positive through the FAO laboratory
in Rome (Bauchi, Kaduna, Kano, Plateau, and the Federal
Capital Territory); two additional states have been
confirmed by the Vom National Veterinary Research Institute
as having Avian Influenza type A (Nasarawa and Yobe); and
poultry die-offs have been reported and samples taken for
testing from four additional northern states (Borno, Jigawa,
Katsina, and Sokoto) and from four southern states (Ogun,
Delta, Rivers, and Abia). At the Feb. 24 briefing at
Nigeria's AI Crisis Management Center, a CDC official said
Nigeria's human-surveillance system likely is not currently
strong enough to detect AI in humans. The CDC, WHO, and GON
met on Feb. 23 to formulate procedures to contend with human
cases of AI. The GON must decide soon whether to adopt a
policy of bird immunizations. A USAID official reiterated
the need for the GON to adopt rapidly a policy on
compensation for culled birds. End summary.


2. (U) At the Feb. 24 briefing at the Government of
Nigeria's (GON) Avian Influenza (AI) Crisis Management
Center, a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) official noted
that Nigeria's existing human-surveillance system probably
was not currently strong enough to detect AI in humans. The
CDC and other international partners are aiding the MOH to
develop specific processes and procedures for improving
surveillance and handling cases. This information should be
disseminated to the field this week, and the federal
Ministry must follow up to ensure that the processes and
procedures are implemented.


3. (U) A World Health Organization (WHO) official said 5,000
sets of personal protective equipment (PPE) are to be
delivered to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
for use in animal health, and 2,500 more are being packed
into kits. A GON official said 1,355 PPEs were sent to the
field on Feb. 23, with 300 of these going to Kano. CDC said
PPEs were disposable and technically designed for one-time
use. Portions of the equipment could be reused with
appropriate decontamination procedures; gloves and masks
cannot be reused. In addition to full PPEs, larger numbers
of gloves and masks should be ordered. An FAO official said
it was difficult to get detailed price quotes for rapid,
local purchases of equipment.

Tamiflu and bird vaccinations
--------------


4. (U) A CDC official explained there was not a strong
justification for cullers to be given Tamiflu routinely,
based on the experience of cullers in Asia. Tamiflu,
however, may be used on an exposed person if there has been
significant exposure to infectious material from infected
animals. A USAID official indicated that cullers could
receive, as a precaution, a seasonal human-influenza
inoculation two weeks before beginning culling operations.
Nigeria currently had no stock of human-influenza vaccine.


5. (SBU) As of Feb. 26, processes and procedures developed
by the CDC, WHO, and GON to treat human cases of AI, were
ready for dissemination to the field. The federal
government will need to follow up to ensure that the
processes and procedures are implemented at the state level.
The MOH said the GON planned to increase its surveillance of
humans and birds, and that the GON must decide soon whether
to adopt a policy of bird immunizations. A USAID official
said the GON also must monitor wild birds. Infected
domestic birds apparently have passed AI to wild birds --
which threaten to spread AI back to domestic birds
elsewhere. The FAO is calling for bird vaccinations in
Nigeria. The USG is providing Nigeria with information
about the advantages and drawbacks of bird vaccinations, but
is not making a recommendation. GON officials said they did
not want to inoculate birds, if AI could be contained in

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Kano. (Comment: This is a very worrying sign of denial
about the seriousness of the AI situation. AI is neither
contained in Kano, nor confined to Kano. End comment.)

Compensation must precede bird culling
--------------


6. (U) On Feb. 25 the government announced that culling was
proceeding according to provisions in the animal disease
control law. A USAID official said Kano State alone had
many kilometers' worth of infected birds, and that
"hundreds" of culling teams would be needed to properly
carry out culling operations there. USG officials
reiterated the need for the GON to rapidly adopt a concrete
compensation policy for culled birds, especially as culling
moved to smaller operations. A WHO official said the GON AI
Steering Committee decided on Feb. 24 that compensation will
start to be "implemented" on Feb. 28. A GON official said
the agriculture minister decided Feb. 23 that the payment of
compensation will begin in some northern states on Feb. 27.
The MOH chair called for the FAO to provide by the end of
Feb. 25 a written strategy on how to address AI. The FAO,
USAID, and the Pan-African Program for Control of Epizootics
completed by Feb. 26, with the Ministry of Agriculture
(MOA),an operational plan that has been presented to senior
MOA officials.

Other
--------------


7. (U) Updates over the weekend indicated the following:
Currently four states and the Federal Capital Territory have
had samples confirmed H5N1 positive through the FAO
laboratory in Rome (Bauchi, Kaduna, Kano, Plateau, and the
Federal Capital Territory); two additional states have been
confirmed by the Vom National Veterinary Research Institute,
near Jos, as having Avian Influenza type A (Nasarawa and
Yobe); and poultry die-offs have been reported and samples
taken for testing from four additional northern states
(Borno, Jigawa, Katsina, and Sokoto) and from four southern
states (Ogun, Delta, Rivers, and Abia). The MOH noted an
unconfirmed report of "something" having appeared in Ilorin,
west of Abuja. Nigeria's AI Crisis Management Center
reported Feb. 25 that samples from Zamfara State were
mislabeled and were not actually from Zamfara, but were from
the neighboring state of Katsina. Thus, previously reported
information from the GON indicating that samples from
poultry die-offs from Zamfara were sent for testing was
incorrect.

-- (U) Channel TV in Lagos reported on Feb. 24 that
villagers in Bauchi chased out officials charged with
culling chickens infected by AI.

-- (U) The Nigerian minister of agriculture and rural
development signed into law on Feb. 23 the regulation
restricting the movement of poultry and poultry products
within Nigeria.

-- (U) Veterinary-health, laboratory, and associated
personnel will meet on Feb. 27 for a five-day training
program at the Vom National Veterinary Research Institute.
The training was organized by the Ministries of Health and
Agriculture, the WHO, CDC, and FAO. CDC laboratory
personnel will be conducting the training. The training
will focus on laboratory methods and procedures for
screening and diagnosing AI.

-- (U) An FAO-led program on strategies for controlling and
managing AI will be held in Kaduna, because of its central
location, starting on Feb. 28. Participants will include
members of the Technical Coordination Committee of Experts
for the Prevention and Control of Avian Influenza; and state
directors of veterinary services, directors of public
health, epidemiologists, and laboratory officers from
Nigeria's 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. A
similar, longer event will be held in Kano in early March.


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8. (SBU) Comment: The frustration expressed at this meeting
by officials of international organizations and the USG was
noticeably higher than at the start of the week. These
officials pointed out that now is the time for action by GON
officials. Some Nigerian officials conceded that their
government needs to do better, while other GON officials
reacted defensively. International experts, however, are
basically unanimous that it only a matter of time until
avian influenza affects all of Nigeria and its neighbors.
End comment.

CAMPBELL