AVIAN INFLUENZA UPDATE IN BUCHAREST - CONFUSION

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BUCHAREST 000869

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/NCE - WSILKWORTH AND CA/OCS/ACS-SSCHMIERER
STATE PASS TO DEPT OF AGRICULTURE
NSC FOR DAMON WILSON

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/25/2016
TAGS: KFLU TBIO PREL EAID CASC WHO RO
SUBJECT: AVIAN INFLUENZA UPDATE IN BUCHAREST - CONFUSION
AND RECRIMINATION

REF: A. A) BUCHAREST 847

B. B) BUCHAREST 843

C. C) BUCHAREST 834

D. D) BUCHAREST 811

Classified By: DEPUTY CHIEF OF MISSION MARK TAPLIN, REASONS 1.4 (B) AND
(D).

SUMMARY
--------------

1. (C) Avian Influenza (AI) has been confirmed in two
neighborhoods within the city limits of Bucharest, making
Romania's largest city the first European capital hit by the
H5N1 virus. The virus was discovered in dead chickens raised
in backyards of residents living in low-income neighborhoods
on the outskirts of Bucharest. Authorities implemented a
limited quarantine around the affected zones, restricting
both transit of motor vehicles and pedestrian traffic.
Quarantines throughout Romania were lifted on May 25,
although sanitary controls continue. Local politicians have
added to the confusion, publicly casting doubt on the
presence of bird flu. The current crisis is exacerbating
tensions in the ruling coalition, with President Basescu
criticizing Prime Minister Tariceanu and Minister of
Agriculture Flutur of poor leadership and a failure to
identify the cause of the outbreak. Basescu's own efforts to
involve the Romanian intelligence service backfired when the
service bizarrely attributed the crisis to poultry imports
from Hungary and Slovakia. End summary.

BUCHAREST CASES CONFIRMED - CONFUSION ABOUNDS
--------------

2. (SBU) On May 22, veterinary authorities confirmed the
presence of H5N1 in sector 2, in the northeastern outskirts
of Bucharest. Following an uproar from quarantined
residents, the mayor of sector 2, Neculai Ontanu, asserted
that initial tests had been mishandled and questioned the
presence of H5N1. Residents took the opportunity to complain
of a lack of running water, sewage and paved roads in their
neighborhood of the capital. Ontanu unilaterally lifted the
full quarantine after authorities refused to retest the
infected chicken. Residents were allowed to depart after
passing through screening disinfection centers. The affected
area within sector 2 had an estimated 400 households raising
4,000 chickens.


3. (SBU) Authorities confirmed a second case of H5N1 in
sector 4 of Bucharest on May 23 and instituted an initial
quarantine of 40 streets around the area. The quarantine was
later reduced to four streets encompassing 60 households
after other areas were cleared and disinfected and domestic
fowl was culled in 80 households. Residents in sector 4
responded boisterously, protesting that they would lose their
jobs if they were not allowed to leave the quarantine zone.
The two locations in sectors 2 and 4 were low-income
neighborhoods where many residents raise chickens in their
backyards.


4. (SBU) In sector 2, the Directorate of Public Health (DSP)
deployed a 47-member team to carry out inspections,
surveillance, and identification of those who may have come
in contact with sick birds. In sector 4, DSP deployed a team
of 57 to do the same. All DSP team members were administered
Tamiflu as a preventative measure. The DSP worked with local
officials to implement the quarantine, cull all birds,
disinfect the area, provide health and sanitary information,
and monitor the health of the residents. Ambulances have
been stationed near the infected sites as a precautionary
measure. The Bucharest Prefecture reports that nearly 500
police officers are patrolling the affected zones, enforcing
restrictions and assisting local residents. Two bird flu
hotlines have been established in Bucharest and are
reportedly available 24 hours a day.


5. (U) Authorities are investigating a third case, this time
in sector 5, where rapid tests have indicated H5N1 in a dead
chicken. The new location surrounding Nufarul Galben Street
is only a few blocks from the sector 4 site, and also
consists of small homes with backyard poultry surrounded by
densely populated block apartments. The two zones are
separated by the main road leading from Bucharest to
Bulgaria, though travel on the road has not yet been
affected. Authorities instituted protective measures in the
immediate vicinity of the outbreak.


6. (U) On May 25, the Health Ministry announced that
quarantines have been lifted throughout the country, allowing

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people to move freely in the affected areas. Disinfection
and culling activities will continue. The Health Ministry
said that this decision was taken after all 15 human cases
under observation for bird-flu were confirmed negative.

EMBASSY OPERATIONS NOT YET AFFECTED
--------------

7. (U) The impact on the US Embassy has been minimal.
Traffic in the center of Bucharest remains unchanged and all
employees have been able to report to work as normal. The
proximity of the birds and the overwhelming media attention
has prompted many inquires from embassy staff and dependents.
The Embassy established an AI working group last October
that continues to keep the community informed on the status
of the disease in Bucharest and other infected areas of the
country, as well as provide information on preventative and
preparedness measures. The mission is conducting a crisis
management exercise on May 25-26 that will assist in post
preparation.

SITUATION IMPROVING IN REGIONS
--------------

8. (SBU) The Ministry of Agriculture reports that the total
number of affected sites countrywide stands at 44, with the
largest amount in Brasov County where the outbreak is
believed to have originated. The Ministry reports that 38 of
the 44 cases have been eliminated through isolation, culling,
and disinfection procedures, though monitoring will continue
for several weeks. Efforts continue to bring the six
remaining cases under control.


9. (SBU) Authorities have released further information
regarding the two poultry farms in Brasov County believed to
be the epicenter of the current outbreak. According to
reports, the outbreak may have begun as early as March, when
birds began to die in the thousands on the farms.
Administrators ordered the birds buried to avoid destruction
of the entire flock. It remains to be seen how such actions
avoided scrutiny by the Veterinarian Authority for over one
month.

GOVERNMENT EFFORT STRAPPED FOR CASH
--------------

10. (U) Authorities report having sufficient personal
protective equipment, supplies, disinfectant, and manpower to
combat the current crisis. However, the GOR's emergency
response budget is close to being depleted and the ability to
react to further outbreaks is uncertain. The Ministry of
Agriculture reports that it paid out over USD 3.8 million in
compensation for euthanized birds between October 2005 and
April 2006. It is expected that this latest outbreak will
cost the Ministry an additional one million USD in
compensation expenses. Authorities report that no
compensation will be paid to commercial farms that have
violated biosafety regulations or other commercial laws. The
Ministry of Agriculture has requested an additional 14
million USD from the national budget to pay compensation for
individuals suffering future losses as a result of the bird
flu virus.

POLITICS AND RECRIMINATIONS
--------------

11. (SBU) Recriminations continue to fly at the political
level, with President Basescu accusing Prime Minister
Tariceanu and Minister of Agriculture Flutur of mishandling
the crisis and of failing to identify the root cause of the
outbreak. Following the President's criticism of the
government effort, Tariceanu assumed "personal" control of
the inter-agency task force previously led by Flutur. One
presidential salvo appears to have misfired when, over the
weekend, Basescu called on the national intelligence service
(SRI) to investigate the causes of the outbreak centered in
Brasov. The SRI report attributing the outbreak to imported
poultry from Slovakia and Hungary, made public on May 23, was
roundly dismissed, with Tariceanu stating that there was
absolutely no evidence to support it. Basescu himself
declared his "total disappointment" in the report, adding
that it reflected "a type of collusion between local
authorities and the SRI unit in Brasov." The head of the
Brasov branch of the SRI, Brigadier General Maricel Gavrila,
was dismissed on May 24.


12. (SBU) Basescu then appeared at a government meeting
(despite his recent back surgery),and in front of TV cameras
called on the Prime Minister to inform the public within 24
hours of the roots of the current crisis. Basescu stated
that, "unfortunately, the major objective in combating the

BUCHAREST 00000869 003 OF 003


avian flu situation was not to stop the phenomenon and
eradicate it, but to toss responsibility from one institution
to another." He added that, "if the current model of action
continues, the government will lose all credibility."


13. (SBU) Tariceanu's Liberal Party (PNL) fired back, with
PNL Vice President Dan Rusanu accusing the President of
overstepping his constitutional powers. Basescu, he
complained, is constantly meddling in the Government's
affairs, assigning tasks and demanding explanations from the
Prime Minister and his Cabinet, who are not subordinate to
the Presidency. The opposition Social Democrats (PSD) did
not fail to capitalize on the latest brouhaha in the
governing coalition, with party leader Mircea Geoana calling
for everyone involved in the bird flu crisis in Romania to be
held politically and criminally liable. He pointedly
underlined that this would include the President.

COMMENT
--------------

14. (C) The stakes are significant in this latest crisis,
with the European Union and world health officials closely
monitoring Romania's ability to control the spread of AI with
some semblance of order. While Minister of Agriculture
Flutur has come under attack for this sudden flare-up of AI
cases, most experts believe the GOR's response, particularly
outside of Bucharest, has been rapid, effective and
professional. However, having AI appear on the ground in
several major urban centers has been a wake-up call for the
Romanian public, and politicians of many stripes are finding
it an occasion to pursue their own agendas, probably at the
expense of a coherent public health response. Basescu's
interventions, in particular, seem to have contributed to
public confusion and a sense of crisis. We will look for
opportunities to reinforce with our Romanian interlocutors
the importance of putting science and safety before political
brinkmanship. End Comment.
TAUBMAN