USAID Grant Signing Ceremony and Summary of Avian Influenza

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 006417 SIPDIS SENSITIVE STATE FOR EUR/SE, EB/EPD, and EB/TPP/ABT DEPT PLEASE PASS USAID FOR NBLANCHETT USDA OSEC FOR TERPSTRA USDA FAS FOR FAA/DEVER, ITP/FLEMINGS USDOC FOR DEFALCO ISTANBUL FOR FAS VIENNA FOR APHIS BRUSSELS USEU FOR FAS, APHIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: TBIO AMED EAID CASC SENV EFIN EAGR KFLU TU SUBJECT: USAID Grant Signing Ceremony and Summary of Avian Influenza Situation in Turkey ¶1. (SBU) Summary: On November 7, the Ambassador participated in a signing ceremony for the $1 million U.S.AID grant to Turkey (through the World Bank) to support Turkey's efforts against Avian Influenza (AI). Remarks by the Ambassador, the Minister of Agriculture Eker, and the Country Director of the World Bank, Andrew Vorkink, helped publicize the grant and the U.S. role in helping combat this disease world-wide. The event garnered substantial favorable press coverage. Turkey declared itself free of AI on August 15 and the Ministries of Health and of Agriculture have been coordinating with international organizations and industry groups on prevention and preparedness measures. End Summary. -------------- Ambassador Speaks at Signing Ceremony -------------- ¶2. (SBU) On November 7, the Ambassador, Minister Eker and Mr. Vorkink all signed the $1 million U.S. AID grant to Turkey as witnesses in an official ceremony to mark the donation. Mr. Vorkink had previously signed the agreement on September 12, 2006. The USAID $1 million is divided between $250K for public awareness purposes and $750K for restructuring of backyard production. ¶3. (SBU) Following a statement by the Minister, the Ambassador addressed the press. In his remarks, the Ambassador highlighted Turkey's excellent response to the AI outbreaks last January and cooperation with international partners. He thanked the Turkish government for supporting the U.S. interagency delegation's visit following the crisis last January. He highlighted the overall U.S. contribution to support Turkey in its efforts against AI, which includes this U.S. AID grant of $1 million and the $325,000 grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He also stressed that these funds and the World Bank's efforts are part of a broader international partnership on avian and pandemic influenza that was proposed by President Bush earlier this year. ¶4. (SBU) The other speakers thanked the U.S. for its contribution, and used the event to help publicize Turkey's efforts this year and its role as model for the region. Minister Eker stated that the grant received from the U.S. is targeted for activities in public awareness and in restructuring of the poultry sector. He thanked the Ambassador and everyone else who worked on the issuance of the grant as well as the EU Commission and the World Bank delegation for their financial and moral support. -------------- Media Interest -------------- ¶5. (SBU) The event was well attended by wire service reporters, print journalists and broadcast media teams. The major Turkish wire service, Anatolia Agency, reported on the grant, as did several television news programs. Islamist-oriented daily "Yeni Safak" ran the story under the headline "$1 Million from the US for Bird Flu." Coverage was straightforward and positive. -------------- Turkey's Preparations for Avian Influenza -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Avian influenza was first reported on October 7, 2005, with a single outbreak which was successfully controlled without any spread. Following the initial outbreak, a second outbreak was confirmed in domestic poultry on December 25, 2005. Since that date, Turkey had 230 confirmed AI cases in poultry, 30 of which occurred in wild birds. The disease was observed in 53 of the 81 provinces. The total number of birds culled in Turkey is over 2.5 million (a little over 900,000 in the quarantine zones and 1.6 million outside the quarantine zones). There were also 12 confirmed human AI cases, of which 4 were deaths. ¶7. (SBU) On August 15, Turkey declared itself free of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in accordance with the OIE health code. The last confirmed case of HPAI was reported in March 31, ¶2006. According to the GOT's report to the OIE, stamping out was carried out around all outbreaks, surveillance is ongoing (with negative results thus far),and vaccination has not been applied in any part of Turkey. ¶8. (SBU) An interagency committee led by the Ministry of Agriculture (MARA) and consisting of representatives from the Ministry of Health (MOH),Education, and Environment, as well as international organizations such as the World Bank and Unicef, was established in late August to develop a coordinated communications strategy for Turkey. Since then, the group has met several times and agreed on the direction of the campaign. Last week the first brochures and posters were published and are now ready for distribution throughout the country. The committee has enlisted the help of the national religious organization so that the imams in the villages can ensure that people in all parts of the country receive instruction on how to handle sick poultry. With the clever slogan, "Protection is in your hands," the campaign emphasizes washing one's hands thoroughly and regularly. ¶9. (SBU) BESD-BIR, the Turkish poultry association, has also played an active role in Turkey's preparations for another AI outbreak. The industry's strategy has been one of containment --training backyard producers in segregating the poultry from humans. Using television ads, the organization has tried to educate producers to notify the authorities immediately of dead domestic or wild birds. Commercial producers are testing their flocks daily. ¶10. (SBU) The MOH prepared and published the National Pandemic Plan, including an English version, in August. (The Embassy received copies of the plan in both languages.) Ankara is actively working with and training provincial health directorates on the plan, as well as preparing provincial versions of the plan. ¶11. (SBU) According to the MOH's Primary Health Directorate Doctor Yldirim Beyazit, the MOH has stocked 330,000 boxes of Tamiflu and it is aiming to purchase 670,000 additional boxes as emergency stocks. The MOH is working closely with the MARA, which will continue as the lead agency, responsible for controlling the spread of AI in poultry. -------------- FAO's Activities -------------- ¶12. (SBU) FAO's focus has been to improve awareness of the disease and of prevention methods from farm to consumers. Since January, FAO has had on staff two experts with capacity to advise the Turkish government on surveillance, testing, epidemiology, and virology. The GOT has benefited from their expertise and needs to find funds to keep experts in Turkey. Since FAO is not part of the donor program, rather is using global FAO funds, it is seeking designated funding for Turkey to continue this project. FAO plans to organize training for trainers and support accreditation of Turkish labs. ¶13. (SBU) FAO's veterinary consultant says that with 114,000 flocks in 40,000 villages, the focus needs to be on real time data gathering and analysis. FAO's ultimate training goals for Turkey are: 1) better clinical diagnosis (training for veterinarians); 2) better testing (validation for laboratories); and developing legislation to give broader legal powers to control outbreaks. -------------- Turkey as a Regional Model -------------- ¶14. (SBU) Turkey has been cited as a model for its decisive and transparent response to its AI outbreak. There is wide interest in leveraging that experience regionally to other countries whose response was less praiseworthy. WHO and FAO hosted a regional conference partially funded by USAID in Ankara last May. Turkish officials and WHO admit that regional cooperation potential is still unmet. Direct linkages and networks have not yet been established. In September, Minister Eker told Agcouns that Turkey is considering hosting an international conference with its neighboring countries sometime this year. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶15. (SBU) Coordination between MOH and MARA (and to a lesser extent the Ministry of Environment) remains a big issue. Each Ministry produced its own contingency plan, yet to be reconciled as one national plan, although it is happening to some degree at the provincial level. The World Bank asked Emboffs to help identify expertise in crisis planning, perhaps a consultant in crisis communications. Turkey has been cited as a regional model for its decisive and transparent response to its AI outbreak.