AI SITREP MARCH 27: CULLING BEGINS IN GAZA; ISRAEL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 001231 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE; NEA/IPA FOR WILLIAMS/GREENE/WAECHTER; NEA/RA FOR LAWSON; OES FOR DALEYNSC FOR ABRAMS, DORAN, MUSTAFA; STATE PASS TO USAID/BORODIN; STATE PASS TO USDA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KFLU TBIO SENV ECON EAGR EAID KWBG IS SUBJECT: AI SITREP MARCH 27: CULLING BEGINS IN GAZA; ISRAEL OUTBREAK CONTAINED FOR NOW REF: A. JERUSALEM 1206 ¶B. JERUSALEM 1192 ¶C. JERUSALEM 1177 ¶D. JERUSALEM 1151 ¶E. TEL AVIV 1135 ¶F. TEL AVIV 1087 This is a joint cable from Consulate General Jerusalem and Embassy Tel Aviv. ¶1. (SBU) Summary: The WHO and the PA reported that preparations for culling had begun and that infected flocks in Rafah and Jahr el-Deik began to be culled March 27. The PA has promised compensation for Gaza farmers with infected flocks. The Israeli labs returned negative test results for two farms in Gaza and three in the West Bank. The PA Ministry of Health reported that it had received adequate doses of Tamiflu from the GOI and UNICEF. The GOI announced that it had completed the culling of 1.2 million birds in Israel, in nine days ending March 27. End Summary. Palestinian farmers agree to cull their flocks -------------- - ¶2. (SBU) WHO Representative Mahmud Daher reported March 27 that the two-part culling process had begun in Gaza with instructions to farmers with infected flocks to dehydrate the birds to prepare them to drink poisoned water. (Note: He added that the GOI had provided the PA with the necessary poison. End Note.) Both Daher and PA Gaza Director of Control and Quarantine Said Siyam said culling would begin March 27 with the elimination of 13,000 egglayers in Rafah using poisoned drinking water. The Gaza Farmers Council had given the Jahr el-Deik farmers instructions to begin the dehydration process to prepare for the culling of their flock of 35,000. In the interim, the area continued to be under strict quarantine, Siyam noted. The decision to move forward with culling was the result of a March 26 meeting with representatives from the WHO, FAO, UNRWA, the Gaza Governor, and the head of the Gaza Farmers' Council, during which Gazan farmers agreed to cull their infected flocks in exchange for forthcoming compensation. (Note: Daher said the farmers will receive between USD 7 and 10 per broiler chicken and USD 15 and 20 per chicken. End Note.) ¶3. (SBU) Daher confirmed that samples from Beit Lahia (north of Gaza city) and el-Musaddar (near Deir el-Balah),submitted to the GOI for testing after suspicious deaths of poultry, had come back negative for H5N1. ¶4. (SBU) World Bank Country Director David Craig reported that the World Bank could reallocate USD 2 million to fund an AI compensation program for Palestinian farmers. The reallocations will need World Bank Executive Board approval, but Craig noted that the PA could borrow from a commercial bank against this pledge. Craig said Deputy Finance Minister Jihad al-Wazir is calling for the EU to release its last tranche of funding (about USD 21 million) from the World Bank Reform Trust Fund for emergency AI compensation and containment efforts. Craig believes the World Bank could disburse the money, if instructed by the EU, but that the fastest way to move funds would be for the GOI to unfreeze a portion of PA clearance revenue after Israeli elections and disburse it to UNRWA, the only UN agency that has indicated an ability and willingness to implement an emergency AI program, in concert with WHO and FAO. PA receives Tamiflu; no human cases reported -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Daher confirmed that the PA had received 300 doses of Tamiflu from the GOI and that UNICEF had purchased another 900 doses from the local market for distribution in the West Bank and Gaza, should there be a human outbreak. (Note: There have been no confirmed cases of humans contracting the AI virus in the West Bank or Gaza. End Note.) Deputy Health Minister Anan Masri said the PA had met its present Tamiflu needs but it may need additional doses in the future. Masri reported that the PA Ministry of Health staff in Gaza had met JERUSALEM 00001231 002 OF 002 with their Israeli counterparts March 26 at the Erez crossing to discuss their needs, which include equipment to protect healthcare workers dealing with potential human cases if the virus should spread. Negative results for AI suspected cases in the West Bank -------------- -------------- ¶6. (SBU) In the West Bank, PA West Bank Director of Veterinary Services Imad Mukarkar said samples from three farms, including the 5,000 egglayer farm in el-Bekiah, the 9,000 broiler farm in Jericho, and samples sent from a broiler farm in Nablus, had all tested negative, ccording to the Israeli lab. He confirmed that the only positive case of H5N1 in the West Bank wa in the Israeli settlement of Beka'ot. He maintined that all farms would continue to be closelymonitored. GOI completes culling, assesses damaes -------------- ¶7. (SBU) A March 26 statement by the Israeli Agricultre Ministry expressed concern that Israel could xperience a new outbreak of H5N1, given the presnce of the disease in Jordan, Egypt and Gaza. Israel culled 1.2 million birds at 53 coops in 14 communities in nine days, ending March 27, thereby controlling its outbreak at present. The Israeli MOA statement compared Israel's response favorably to those of other countries, noting inter alia that Japan took 23 days t cull at one location and 31 days at another. Te MOA has assessed "direct damages" at NIS 24 milion (USD 5.2 million),and is in the process of calculating indirect costs. (Note: Current GOI MA estimates of direct costs are for compensationfor farmers in the poultry sector, of which NIS 2 million (USD 2.6 million) was paid out the week of March 20. Indirect costs are estimated at NIS 45 million (USD 9.8 million) and do not/not include the costs to the GOI of controlling the AI outbreak, the cost of assistance to the PA, or other impacts on the economy. Estimates for those additional costs should emerge in the coming days, but GOI officials are reluctant to focus on these calculations due to concern of future possible outbreaks of AI. End Note.) WALLES