RWANDA IMPLEMENTS MEASURES TO COMBAT THREAT OF

UNCLAS KIGALI 000269 SIPDIS AIDAC SIPDIS DEPT FOR AID/AFR/DP FOR MHARVEY, HLIGHTFOOT, ASEN, BDUSZA AFR/EA FOR JBORNS, SMCCLURE, OCOLE EGAT/AG/AM FOR DSOROKO GH/HIDN FOR DCARROLL AND MTROSTLE ECA/PHA FORVAMIRTHANAYAGAM AND CDAVIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM SOCI TBIO WHO RW SUBJECT: RWANDA IMPLEMENTS MEASURES TO COMBAT THREAT OF AVIAN INFLUENZA -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. With the recent outbreaks of Avian Influenza (AI) in Africa, Rwanda is moving forward in its preparedness to address the threat to both human and animal populations. The Government of Rwanda (GOR) has revitalized an inter- ministerial steering committee, originally formed in November 2005. The inter-ministerial committee has drafted and budgeted a National Action Plan that merges and harmonizes the sectoral plans developed by the Ministries of Health and Agriculture. The initial budget for implementation of the action plan is about USD 500,000. ¶2. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has committed approximately USD 10,000 to hire local consultants to assist the GOR in finalizing the National Plan. FAO is also planning on hiring an international consultant to work in close collaboration with the local team and the GOR to ensure incorporation of global best practices and lessons learned. The GOR is also establishing a framework for donor coordination under which interested parties can provide support. In the meantime, USAID is continuing to engage with GOR and other key partners to ensure efficient and effective efforts. ¶3. A USG team met with the Minister of State (MoS) for HIV/AIDS and Other Epidemics on March 7 to discuss the GOR's plan regarding the AI threat in the region. The MoS explained that the GOR has undertaken several initiatives, including imposition of a ban on import of poultry products, preparation of a National Action Plan, and appointment of an inter-ministerial steering committee chaired by the Rwanda Animal Resources Development Authority (RARDA). -------------- GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES -------------- ¶4. The new inter-ministerial committee, originally formed in November 2005, is headed by the Director of the RARDA and comprised of the Ministry of Health (MINISANTE),the Ministry of Agriculture (MINAGRI),the Ministry of Commerce (MINICOM),Ministry of Land and Environment (MINITERE),the Rwanda Bureau of Standards (RBS),the Rwandan Tourism Agency (ORTPN),and the Rwandan Revenue Authority (RRA). At its most recent meeting on March 10, the committee reviewed the National Action Plan, in coordination with FAO consultants, and each ministry appointed a focal point for AI. The plan should be finalized shortly. ¶5. The GOR has some modest measures already in place to address the AI threat, including a ban on importation of day- old chickens (since June 2005) and poultry (since December 2005),surveillance/inspection staff at borders and control points, and development of awareness-raising pamphlets in the local Kinyarwanda language. Additional funds are required to reproduce and distribute these pamphlets. As part of the GOR's ongoing public outreach efforts, the head of the inter-ministerial committee provided an interview to Radio Rwanda to inform the public about precautionary measures and reporting procedures for suspicious birds. The 30-minute interview was broadcast nationwide on March 14 during prime-time listening hours following the evening news. This awareness-raising effort will be complemented by public service announcements by a famous radio personality in the coming weeks. As only 47% of the population has access to radio, additional awareness efforts will be required. These immediate measures offer short-term solutions while the National Plan is being finalized to guide a comprehensive and coordinated set of actions. -------------- U.S. MISSION ACTIVITIES RELATED TO AI -------------- ¶6. USAID coordinated a field visit with RARDA to assess on- the-ground activities. The USAID AI core team visited the Northern Province on March 10 as it shares an important international border with Uganda and has one of the highest concentrations of poultry farms in Rwanda. The veterinarian posted at the Rwandan-Ugandan border at Gatuna confirmed the ban on importation of chickens and poultry products and the collaboration with local authorities, including local police forces as well as customs and immigration officials, to reinforce this ban. However, he acknowledged his inability to inspect every container and speculated that frozen chickens were being smuggled across the border into Rwanda under loads of frozen fish or other produce. He noted that cross-border activities are extremely difficult to control because of the porous border and proximity of established communities on the border. ¶7. Community sensitization efforts are also under way with talks being held with local groups and newly elected local leaders. While in the Northern Province, the USAID team took the opportunity to meet with the Bishop of Byumba to engage the church to raise awareness among the large Catholic population. The team updated the Bishop on outbreaks in the region, the potential risks of an outbreak in Rwanda, basic precautionary measures to disseminate to congregations and other church groups, and reporting measures established by the GOR. The Catholic Church supports various initiatives, including raising chicken, and has access to a large sector of the population. Given the fellowship of over 60 percent of the country's population, the Church could be instrumental in facilitating the government's awareness campaign. ¶8. The Embassy Health Unit has procured Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for health care workers (HCWS) working in DOS settings and for ICASS-eligible American employees and their dependents who provide home care for the ill. Moreover, the Embassy Management Unit has disseminated management notices in English and Kinyarwanda, providing general information on AI as well as emergency preparedness advice. Additionally, the Health Unit and USAID gave presentations and distributed pamphlets on AI at the monthly American community Town Hall meeting. Attendees were urged to disseminate the information to household staff, neighbors, and local colleagues. ¶9. The GOR, in collaboration with donors, is finalizing the National Plan and identifying priority activities for an effective response to both the animal and human aspects of the AI threat. USAID is closely monitoring the situation and working with other donors such as the FAO. Moreover, USAID, CDC, and the Embassy are working closely to leverage CDC's regional activities for emergency measures and USAID programs for in-country preparedness, and to mobilize the highest level of the GOR. This coordinated USG response maximizes the comparative advantages of each agency to maximize the support provided to the GOR in responding to the AI threat. ¶10. The USAID Mission has requested the support of David Soroko from USAID/Washington's Bureau for Economic Growth, Agriculture, and Trade (EGAT) to assist in the strategic planning and to assess other donors' initiatives and determine how they can be complemented to optimize the use of limited resources and to put in place a comprehensive preparedness plan. -------------- OTHER DONORS' ACTIVITIES -------------- ¶11. FAO and World Health Organization(WHO) are playing a lead role as the internationally agreed upon lead technical agencies. The World Bank has been supporting the FAO in this role, and, per agreements at the Beijing conference, seeking to facilitate GOR and donor coordination issues. FAO has been working closely with the GOR steering committee on the National Plan. Over the past week, the WB provided extensive comments and a comprehensive checklist of elements that should be included in the National Plan, based on existing best practices. FAO is working with the steering committee to address and integrate the comments and checklist. The revised draft of the National Plan should be available shortly. ¶12. FAO has secured funds to support two national and one international consultant to help finalize the National Plan. Terms of Reference (TOR) have been drafted and the local consultants have been selected. The WB has reviewed the TOR and recommended that they be harmonized with the Rapid Assessment TOR (agreed upon by FAO, WHO and WB following the Beijing conference). The FAO team has agreed to update the TOR. ¶13. At the GOR's request, the WB and WHO will support AI interventions either within their existing portfolios or through preparation of a new intervention. However, additional support is required from other donors and the latter approach will require some groundwork. ¶14. To facilitate institutional coordination, the GOR national steering committee will also include: FAO, WHO, WB and USAID. There will also be a technical donor working group which will include a large constituency of donors and international organizations, e.g. EU and DFID. The exact composition and mechanism for this coordination will be addressed at the next GOR/donor meeting. -------------- FINAL COMMENTS -------------- ¶15. The response to the Avian Influenza threat has been slow to start but progress has been made. Competing priorities, such as foot-and-mouth disease and the ongoing food crisis, have received more immediate focused attention. However, the recent outbreaks of avian influenza in Africa have highlighted the need for AI preparedness on the GOR's agenda. ¶16. Considerable effort and resources are needed to build an effective response to the AI threat: awareness-raising activities are just starting; surveillance efforts will have to overcome communication, infrastructure, and human resource limitations; and regional laboratories will have to be used to compensate for inadequate local laboratory facilities. A test of the National Plan is a high priority to ensure the effectiveness of operational procedures for surveillance and control, including the cooperation of airlines and customs authorities for rapid specimen transportation and testing. Moreover, as in most African countries, deeply rooted and complex socio-economic norms will have to be overcome in order to effectively prevent, detect, and control an AI outbreak. ARIETTI