Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06ROME428
2006-02-13 12:17:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Rome
Cable title:  

AVIAN INFLUENZA: FAO UPDATE ON NIGERIA

Tags:  EAGR EAID CASC SENV SOCI TBIO NI UP AM AJ GG FAO WHO AVIAN INFLUENZA 
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UNCLAS ROME 000428 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR IO/EDA, EUR/SE, NEA/ENA, EA/SEA, OES/IHA
USAID FOR DCHA/OFDA GGOTTLIEB, PMORRIS; GH/KHILL AND
DCARROLL; AFR/MHARVEY, ALOZANO; EGAT A/AA JSMITH;
ANE/ACLEMENTS
USDA FOR OSEC STUMP/PENN/LAMBERT, FAS
PETTRIE/HUGHES/CLERKIN, APHIS CLIFFORD/DUVERNOY
GENEVA FOR NKYLOH/USAID
BRUSSELS FOR PLERNER
PARIS FOR GCARNER
USEUCOM FOR ECJ4
VIENNA PASS APHIS
CAIRO PASS APHIS

FROM THE U.S. MISSION TO THE UN AGENCIES IN ROME

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAGR EAID CASC SENV SOCI TBIO NI UP AM AJ GG FAO WHO AVIAN INFLUENZA
SUBJECT: AVIAN INFLUENZA: FAO UPDATE ON NIGERIA

REF: (A) 05 ROME 3949; (B) 05 ROME 3320; (C) 05 ROME 2979;

(D) 05 ROME 1142; (E) 05 ROME 3976; (F) 06 ROME 0087;
(E) 06 ROME 0000; (F) 06 UNROME 0315

UNCLAS ROME 000428

SIPDIS

STATE FOR IO/EDA, EUR/SE, NEA/ENA, EA/SEA, OES/IHA
USAID FOR DCHA/OFDA GGOTTLIEB, PMORRIS; GH/KHILL AND
DCARROLL; AFR/MHARVEY, ALOZANO; EGAT A/AA JSMITH;
ANE/ACLEMENTS
USDA FOR OSEC STUMP/PENN/LAMBERT, FAS
PETTRIE/HUGHES/CLERKIN, APHIS CLIFFORD/DUVERNOY
GENEVA FOR NKYLOH/USAID
BRUSSELS FOR PLERNER
PARIS FOR GCARNER
USEUCOM FOR ECJ4
VIENNA PASS APHIS
CAIRO PASS APHIS

FROM THE U.S. MISSION TO THE UN AGENCIES IN ROME

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAGR EAID CASC SENV SOCI TBIO NI UP AM AJ GG FAO WHO AVIAN INFLUENZA
SUBJECT: AVIAN INFLUENZA: FAO UPDATE ON NIGERIA

REF: (A) 05 ROME 3949; (B) 05 ROME 3320; (C) 05 ROME 2979;

(D) 05 ROME 1142; (E) 05 ROME 3976; (F) 06 ROME 0087;
(E) 06 ROME 0000; (F) 06 UNROME 0315


1. From February 8-10, USMISSION UN Rome staff met with
Juan Lubroth, FAO Senior Veterinary Officer, to discuss the
current situation in Nigeria.


2. In these discussions, Lubroth reported the following:

-- Two children are suspected of having contracted the
virus. A WHO assessment arrives in Nigeria during the
evening of February 10th and will release the test results
of the two children.
-- The two FAO veterinarians stationed in-country have been
deployed, one to the North and the other fixed in Abuja.
The latter conducts daily afternoon conference calls with
FAO/Rome.
--APHIS sent Dakar-based Cheryl French to Nigeria on
February 11th.
-- FAO Regional Rep from Bamako arrived on February 11th.
-- FAO Animal Health Officer from Accra and FAO Animal
Health Officer from Rome will arrive on February 13th for
two days. The latter will be the team leader for in-country
assessments. Meanwhile, the former will stay in Nigeria
for two days and then travel to neighboring countries to
review the situation and determine if there is H5N1
spillover. FAO would like APHIS' Cheryl French to
participate on the regional mission, which should end up in
Mali. FAO is willing to pay for Dr. French if APHIS
agrees.
-- Two veterinarians from South Africa will also arrive and
form part of the FAO/OIE team to conduct assessments.
-- The main objective now is to control poultry movements
in Kano and Kaduna. FAO will receive 1,000 personal
protective equipment (PPEs) from the U.S. to assist in this
effort.
-- FAO has again indicated that there is no need to send an
inter-agency USG assessment team now.
-- What FAO lacks is manpower, i.e., seconded veterinary
officers, and has asked for USG assistance in this area.
-- FAO plans to set up a regional Emergency Center for
Transboundary Animal Disease Operations (ECTAD) in Cairo or
Accra. ECTAD will help improve surveillance and response
in West Africa.


3. Earlier on February 8th, Dr. Lubroth confirmed that the
FAO/OIE reference lab in Padua had positively identified
H5N1 in poultry samples sent via FAO from Nigeria. Lubroth
stated FAO was tracking the disease mid-week upon the
release of an OIE broadcast. He also noted that
surveillance worked well in Nigeria because of the
extensive unilateral trust fund (UTF) project being run by
FAO. The UTF has fisheries, livestock, crop and
transboundary animal disease (TAD) components and includes
an extensive network of 109 model sites that monitor animal
diseases. FAO hopes to triple the number of sites to 327.


4. US MISSION UN ROME will continue to cover and widely
disseminate information on FAO activities to combat and
control Avian Influenza.

HALL