ERITREA'S IMPROVED READINESS FOR AVIAN FLU

C O N F I D E N T I A L ASMARA 000261

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

LONDON FOR AFRICA WATCHER
PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 3/15/2016
TAGS: AMGT CASC AMED AEMR EAGR EAID KSCA PREL ER
SUBJECT: ERITREA'S IMPROVED READINESS FOR AVIAN FLU

REF: 05 ASMARA 1105

CLASSIFIED BY: AMB Scott H. DeLisi, for reasons 1.4 (b)
and (d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: Since December 2005, Eritrea has developed
a response plan to Avian Flu. Established recently, the
National Avian Influenza Committee is an inter-ministry
collaboration between the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry
of Fisheries and the Ministry of Health. The Committee
aims to raise awareness, handle reports and conduct
investigations. The Committee established a nationwide
hotline, answered by the Office of the Director of Animal
Health, to handle reports of dead or ill birds. While they
have fielded numerous calls, to date, there are no
confirmed cases of bird flu in Eritrea although there has
just been a WHO report suggesting that avian influenza may
have now. Post hopes to meet with WHO officials March 16
to learn more about their findings. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) PolOff, MgtOff and FSN Nurse met with Dr. Ogbe
Gebremichael the Animal Health Division Director of the
Ministry of Agriculture to discuss Eritrea's plan for bird
flu. Initially the GSE built the response on banning the
import of chickens, implying that this was sufficient.
Since then, they have seen the light. According to Dr.
Ogbe, the GSE was "caught off guard" and now with the
spread in the region "people are terrorized." Recognizing
the huge role of migratory birds in the spreading of the
influenza and Eritrea's large sea coast, the GSE with
pressure from the technical experts within the Ministry of
Agriculture now have a more comprehensive plan. The plan
is multi-tiered including awareness, identification,
isolation and quarantine and destructions.


3. (C) Yet even with a plan, the GSE resources are limited.
In encountering reports of dead or ill birds, the Eritrean
approach can be summed up by Dr. Ogbe's direction to a
recent response to a report of an ill stork; "destroy and
continue vigilence." Presently analysis is limited to
preliminary review and assessment of the presented
symptoms. While the Ministry of Agriculture staff has
received training in technical analysis, they do not have
the necessary equipment and supplies. The Committee
requested, and finally received, an emergency budget that
will allow them to purchase vehicles and fuel as well as
testing kits. For the past several months the Ministry of
Agriculture has kept dead birds in a warehouse awaiting the
testing kits that arrived a few days ago. The tests thus
far have all been negative. Furthermore the GSE has not
secured the appropriate supplies for shipping samples to
European labs.


4. (C) The Committee began with organizing training for
local government workers of the Health and Agriculture
ministries. This training will support efforts to get the
word out to rural communities. The GSE supplemented this
training with a wide scale public awareness campaign
through television, radio and print media highlighting the
symptoms of bird flu and the newly establish, now 1 week
old, hotline. The Committee's emergency budget of 20,000
USD will allow them to use ten additional vehicles and fuel
and purchase supplies, such as the aforementioned testing
kits.


5. (C) Dr. Ogbe estimated that Eritreans keep nearly three
million domestic chickens. Should bird flu be identified,
the GSE will conduct a large scale quarantine and
destruction campaign. The quarantine will relate not only
to poultry but also to humans, preventing their travel as
well. The Ministry of Health ordered a small amount of
Tamiflu. The GSE plans to destroy any ill birds as well as
those nearby. Recognizing the social and economic cost to
such a decision, the Committee approached the GSE to
provide funds for compensation, however, no decision has
yet been made.

6) (C) Comment: The GSE's normal response might be to hide
any findings of bird flu - just as it has so far minimized
or ignored the serious impact of drought and food shortages
on both the human and animal population of this country.
Post believes, however, that given the social, food
security, public health and agricultural issues they will
be unable to keep such a finding a secret for long. We
have a good relationship with the Division of Animal Health
and believe they would share findings with us. We believe
that the GSE might be reluctant to accept assistance
directly from the US, however, it would likely welcome help
especially if directed through an intermediary such as the
WHO or UNFOA. End Comment.

DeLisi