MARCH 9 NIGERIA AVIAN FLU UPDATE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 000558 SIPDIS SIPDIS FOR OES NANCY POWELL USDA FOR FAS/OA, FAS/DLP, FAS/ICD AND FAS/ITP USDA ALSO FOR APHIS USAID REGIONAL HUB OFFICE ACCRA CHERYL FRENCH APHIS DAKAR C O R R E C T E D C O P Y (TEXT - PARAGRAPH MARKINGS 2 -6) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: TBIO KFLU EAID AMED EAGR NI SUBJECT: MARCH 9 NIGERIA AVIAN FLU UPDATE REF: ABUJA 552 ABUJA 00000558 001.2 OF 002 ///////CORRECTED COPY (PARAGRAPHS 2 THROUGH 6 NOT MARKED)///// ¶1. (SBU) Summary. The GON announced March 9 that an additional state, Ogun State, was confirmed positive for the H5 virus. This result was confirmed by the Vom National Veterinary Research Institute, near Jos. Officials said the government had paid no additional compensation to poultry farmers since 47 farmers in Kano State received money on March 6. Poultry sales in Nigeria have plummeted 85 percent since AI was detected one month ago. The poultry association said this decline in chicken sales has cost Nigerian poultry farmers about USD 233 million so far. The poultry association warned that unless the government offered longer-term assistance to farmers for restocking their farms, Nigeria's poultry sector risked a complete collapse. End summary. ¶2. (SBU) Centers for Disease Control officials attended on March 9 in Abuja the Government of Nigeria's (GON) Steering Committee meeting on avian influenza (AI). GON officials announced that an additional state, Ogun State, was confirmed positive for having the H5 virus. This result was confirmed by the Vom National Veterinary Research Institute, near Jos. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) laboratory in Rome is testing additional samples from Ogun State. Ogun State is the center of commercial poultry production in Nigeria. GON officials said there are highly suspicious and very large die-offs of birds in Niger and Adamawa States. They ordered technical staff to investigate these bird deaths and confirm or deny AI as the cause. ¶3. (SBU) GON officials said the government had paid no additional compensation to poultry farmers since 47 farmers in Kano State received money on March 6. Officials said the World Bank signed on March 8 an accord that will provide almost USD 60 million to combat AI. Of this total, USD 30.7 million will go toward animal health, USD 21.3 million to human health, USD 4.05 million to social mobilization, and USD 2.83 million for contingency purposes. GON officials noted that state ministers of information met in Abuja on March 9 to be "sensitized" on the issue of AI. International donors help address some needs -------------- ¶4. (SBU) At a March 7 UN Development Program (UNDP) donors meeting in Abuja, a USAID official noted that USAID is working with the GON to implement a program for eradication in outbreak areas where culling is needed. USAID is providing assistance in the provision of commodities to assist in the isolation and control, culling, decontamination, and proper disposal of culled birds. In collaboration with the French Embassy and PACE, the Pan-African Control of Epizootics, an EU-funded organization embedded in the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA),USAID is sponsoring technical training for MOA animal-health technicians, International Fund for Agricultural Development staff, and the FAO in identification, containment, culling, decontamination, and disposal techniques. This training will be held in Ibadan for southern Nigerian staff and in Minna for their northern Nigerian counterparts. ¶5. (SBU) The UNDP reported that the World Bank has approved the reallocation of USD 3 million in existing funds to combat AI through state-level health programs. The UNDP summarized its initial matrix of AI contributions and concluded: Donations for the Ministry of Health's short-term needs (to December 2006) are well covered for surveillance and outbreak investigations. There are still, however, gaps in funding for case management (Tamiflu),prevention (flu vaccine),data management, vehicles, and laboratory support. The MOA's initial needs, meanwhile, have received very little commitment or input apart from World Bank funds. Poultry sales plummet 85% in one month -------------- ABUJA 00000558 002.2 OF 002 ¶6. (SBU) Poultry sales in the country have plummeted 85 percent since AI was detected one month ago in Nigeria, the president of the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) told Reuters on March 8. PAN chief Olatunde Badmus said this figure was based on a survey of the association's members. He said Nigerian poultry farms were going out of business rapidly, and that farmers were destroying eggs as well as chickens that were not diseased because they could not sell these. The PAN estimated that this decline in chicken sales has cost Nigeria's poultry farmers at least 30 billion naira (about USD 233 million) so far. Badmus additionally cautioned that while poultry farmers welcomed the government's initial payment of compensation on March 6, this money was not sufficient to persuade affected farmers to reenter the poultry business. He warned that unless the government offered longer-term assistance to farmers for restocking their farms, Nigeria's poultry sector risked a complete collapse. CAMPBELL