AI SITREP MARCH 29: PA COMPLETES CULLING OF ALL

UNCLAS JERUSALEM 001283 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE; NEA/IPA FOR WILLIAMS/GREENE/WAECHTER; NEA/RA FOR LAWSON; OES FOR DALEY; NSC 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 29: PA COMPLETES CULLING OF ALL CONFIRMED AI SITES IN GAZA; NEW ISRAELI OUTBREAKS WEST OF JERUSALEM REF: JERUSALEM 1271 AND PREVIOUS This is a joint cable from Consulate General Jerusalem and Embassy Tel Aviv. PA completes culling in Tel el-Hawa and Jahr el-Deik -------------- -------------- ¶1. (SBU) WHO Representative Mahmud Daher told EconOff March 29 that the PA had completed culling the flock of 23,000 in Tel el-Hawa and had buried the carcasses in the former Israeli settlement of Netzarim. Although the neighboring areas originally objected to the burial site, the villagers eventually agreed to the location of the dump site. (Note: Daher said the MOA, governor and the Palestinian Environmental Quality Authority (EQA) had agreed that dump sites for the carcasses would be restricted to the site of the farm of the infected flock to the extent possible. End Note.) The flock of 35,000 in Jahr el-Deik, poisoned March 28, would be buried March 29 on the grounds. The farmers at Jahr el-Deik, like those of Rafah and Tel el-Hawa, were promised compensation within ten days by the MOA. All three sites are "theoretically" under quarantine since they have not yet been disinfected, Daher said. Some clarity on PA compensation -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Deputy Finance Minister Jihad al-Wazir told EconChief March 29 that he had already begun transferring compensation to farmers from a NIS 20 million credit line he opened with the Bank of Jordan. He said there was a sliding scale of compensation, starting at NIS 70 for a turkey down to lesser amounts for a chick. He commented that all chickens in Gaza would be killed, with poultry from non-infected flocks frozen and later distributed as food assistance to needy families. Suspected human cases return negative results -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Daher reported that two farm workers from Tel el-Hawa, suspected of having contracted AI, were sent to Dar el-Shifa hospital for testing. The laboratory results confirmed that both cases were negative. He added that two new samples from poultry in unidentified areas in Gaza were sent to the Israeli labs for testing March 29. (Note: Daher said the MOA had not yet revealed the location of these two areas. End Note.) New AI outbreaks west of Jerusalem -------------- ¶4. (SBU) GOI MOA confirmed a new outbreak of H5N1 March 28 at Kibbutz Maale Ha'Chamisha, about 7-8 miles west of Jerusalem, just north of Abu Ghosh. MOA teams have begun culling the contaminated flock of about 35,000 chicken breeders. MOA is inspecting other sites within 10 kilometers. There is another flock of breeders within the three km radius, at Kibbutz Zoba, and reportedly two egglayer flocks, at Kibbutz Kiryat Anavim and Moshav Beit Nekova. The GOI will continue to adhere to the WHO standards for culling and quarantine. WALLES