CYPRUS AI UPDATE: VISITING EU EXPERT REPORTS

UNCLAS NICOSIA 000150 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS AMMAN FOR RMO CAIRO FOR RMO E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KFLU EAGR EAID KSCA TBIO KSTH WHO AMED CASC PREL, CY SUBJECT: CYPRUS AI UPDATE: VISITING EU EXPERT REPORTS OUTBREAK APPEARS UNDER CONTROL; GOC QUESTIONS TEST RESULTS REF: A. NICOSIA 125 ¶B. NICOSIA 116 ¶C. NICOSIA 76 ¶D. NICOSIA 74 ¶E. NICOSIA 50 ¶F. NICOSIA 34 ¶G. 05 NICOSIA 1914 ¶H. 05 NICOSIA 1866 ¶I. 05 NICOSIA 1836 ¶J. 05 NICOSIA 1740 AND PREVIOUS ¶1. (SBU) Summary: At a private briefing February 1, a visiting EU veterinary expert called the Turkish Cypriot response to positive H5N1 tests for a cock and hen in north Cyprus on January 29 (ref b) "adequate," and said the outbreak appears isolated and under control. Since no other AI cases have been reported, GoC officials, who are increasingly worried about AI,s potential impact on tourism, have publicly questioned the test results, suggesting the samples may have been inadvertently switched in Turkey. On February 1, the USAID-funded, UNDP-administered ACT program hosted a WHO health expert who held a seminar with Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot health and veterinary experts designed to foster increased cooperation across the Green Line. The Embassy issued a warden message January 30 and began doing outreach to the American community. Also on February 1, UNFICYP found several dead chickens in a plastic bag in the buffer zone and handed them over to the Greek Cypriot veterinary service for testing. Results are not expected until early next week. End summary. Readout from Visiting EU Vet Experts -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Visiting EU veterinary expert Jurgen Lohr told us February 1 that the Turkish Cypriot response to the two confirmed cases of H5N1 in poultry in the north Cyprus village of Incirli (Makrasyka in Greek) had been, "adequate, not brilliant, but adequate." Lohr, who visited Incirli (Makrasyka) and several of the villages in the 10km surveillance zone, said the outbreak appears to be under control and isolated. He described the Turkish Cypriot veterinary experts as open and transparent. The incident had been a good training exercise that has made the Turkish Cypriot community better prepared for the future. ¶3. (SBU) Lohr said it was unclear how the birds (a cock and a hen -- not a turkey and chicken as was widely reported earlier) contracted H5N1. There were only two alternatives: �00A;1) at least one of the birds had come from Turkey -- the cock was a half breed of a variety of chicken often used for cock fighting. The owners, however, reported that chickens had been in their possession for some time and had not traveled recently. 2) exposure to migratory birds. There were at least two lakes in the vicinity where migratory birds have congregated. If migratory birds were the cause, the Turkish Cypriots were very fortunate to have caught the outbreak that quickly. WHO expert Dr. Guenael Rodier noted that most outbreaks in poultry in other countries had been preceded by the discovery of clusters of dead wild birds. This had not been the case in Cyprus, but this could be explained should the migratory and wild birds on Cyprus all be immune to H5N1 and act as carriers. ¶4. (SBU) Lohr also noted that the birds had been kept in a small pen with two other chickens, which tested negative for H5N1 two days after the death of the cock and hen. Rodier said it was unusual that the other chickens would not also have contracted H5N1 but said this was not impossible as some birds become so overwhelmed by the disease that they die before they have a chance to spread the virus. ¶5. (SBU) Lohr also noted that there was still confusion on when the original samples were sent to Turkey for analysis. The birds were found dead on January 12 and the Turkish Cypriot rapid test proved positive for an A-type virus. The birds were either sent to the laboratory near Izmir, Turkey on January 13 (during the week-long Bayram holiday) or January 20. What we do know is that the Izmir laboratory contacted the Turkish Cypriots on January 22 to inform them that an egg inoculation test proved positive for H5. At that point the Turkish Cypriot authorities culled all the poultry within a 3 km radius and set up a 10km surveillance zone that included six other villages and a small chicken egg and a small chicken meat farm (broiler). They also began an aggressive public information campaign with frequent spots on television and the radio. The Izmir laboratory sent the samples to the EU reference laboratory at Weybridge UK only on January 27. On January 29, Weybridge informed the European Commission that the two Turkish Cypriot samples tested positive for highly pathogenic H5N1 of a variety identical to that found in Turkey. Greek Cypriot Response -------------- ¶6. (SBU) The positive test prompted the Greek Cypriot veterinary service and the UK Sovereign Base Area (SBA) of Dhekalia to extend the 10km surveillance zone into the territory they control, including the villages of Achna, Avgorou, Xylotymbou, Ormidei and Pyla. The UK SBA response has been to open its territory to the Greek Cypriot veterinary service and to apply whatever measures the Greek Cypriots recommend. Both the GoC and the UK SBA also began applying disinfectant on the tires/feet of all vehicles/pedestrians passing south across the Green Line. While this led originally to waits as long as two to three hours to cross, the process has been streamlined. Statistics from the Turkish Cypriot police nevertheless show that the number of Turkish Cypriots crossing south had not changed, while the number of Greek Cypriots crossing to the north had dropped 20 percent. Partially in retaliation, Turkish Cypriot authorities began February 1, applying disinfectant on vehicles/shoes of cars/pedestrians crossing north. Greek Cypriot Suggest Samples May Have Been Switched -------------- -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Given the lack of other confirmed cases of H5N1 and the survival of the two birds, pen mates, on February 2 the RoC Health and Agriculture Ministers both publicly questioned whether the samples tested at Weybridge had really come from Cyprus. Instead the Ministers, who appeared concerned about the possible affect of the outbreak on tourism, suggested that the samples could have been inadvertently switched with samples from Eastern Turkey at the laboratory in Izmir. Lohr said that this was a possible scenario, but that it could neither be confirmed nor ruled out. The Turkish Cypriot veterinary service had shipped the entire birds to Izmir and had not kept a sample for itself, thus there was no control sample that could be used for further testing. ¶8. (U) Also on February 2, the head of the Cyprus Tourism Organization reported that so far the outbreak had not had any effect on tourism. The Cypriot economy is dependent on the 2.5 million tourists who visit the south every year. Chicken farmers, however, have been especially hurt. Industry representatives have reported a drop in sales of chicken meat and eggs of 70 percent in the south and 90 percent in the north. In the north, there have been reports that the price of red meat, a substitute for poultry, has nearly tripled. USAID Program Facilitating Cooperation Across Green Line -------------- -------------- ¶9. (SBU) On February 1, the USAID-financed, UNDP-administered ACT program hosted an educational outreach visit by WHO AI health expert Guenael Rodier. Rodier led a seminar involving both Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot veterinary and health experts and highlighted the need for close cooperation among the two communities in a press conference. While ACT has been bringing the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot veterinary experts together for several months, this is the first time that health experts from the two communities had agreed to be in the same room. On February 7, the Public Affairs section will host a DVC between another WHO AI expert and Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot health and veterinary experts. Embassy Outreach -------------- ¶10. (U) The Embassy has also increased its AI-related outreach to the American community. On January 30 the Embassy issued a warden message. On February 2, consular officers met with the small American community at Eastern Mediterranean University in Famagusta, located around 20 kms from the site of the outbreak. A larger town hall meeting with the RMO is scheduled for February 8. Dead Birds Found in Buffer Zone -------------- ¶11. (SBU) On February 1, UNDP ACT Environment Officer Nic Jarraud told us that UNFICYP had found around 6 dead birds in a plastic bag dumped in the buffer zone. Where the birds came from was not clear. The birds were found in an area where Turkish Cypriots had frequently dumped garbage and which was generally only accessible from the north. The birds had been handed over to the GoC veterinary service which was testing for AI. Results, however, were not expected until early next week. Comment -------------- ¶12. (SBU) Regardless of the doubts being cast on the veracity of the samples, both communities have taken the apparent outbreak very seriously and appear to be doing the right things. Pending the results of the tests on the dead birds found in the buffer zone, the outbreak appears isolated and under control. As Dr. Lohr noted, the incident appears to have been a good training exercise for both sides and may have helped spark increased AI-related cooperation between the two communities. On January 31, at the Turkish Cypriots invitation, the head of the GoC Veterinary Service even accompanied Dr. Lohr on his site visits in the north. This cooperation will most likely be needed in the future as Cyprus,s location on two major pathways for migratory birds, makes reintroduction of H5N1 onto the island highly likely. SCHLICHER