AVIAN INFLUENZA: WEEKLY UPDATE ON FAO ACTIVITIES

UNCLAS ROME 000925 SIPDIS STATE FOR IO/EDA, EUR/SE, EUR/WE, NEA/ENA, EA/SEA, OES/IHA USAID FOR DCHA/OFDA GGOTTLIEB, PMORRIS; GH/KHILL, DCARROLL AND BZINNER; AFR/MHARVEY, ALOZANO; EGAT A/AA JSMITH; ANE/ACLEMENTS, K/CRAWFORD; EGAT/AG JYAZMAN AND JTHOMAS USDA FOR OSEC STUMP/PENN/LAMBERT/CAINE, FAS PETTRIE/HUGHES/CLERKIN, APHIS CLIFFORD/HOFFMAN DAKAR FOR USAID/OFDA/RDAVIS AND JSCICCHITANO ACCRA FOR USAID/WARP HBOTTEMBERG; KCOONEY GENEVA FOR NKYLOH/USAID HHS FOR OGHA (STEIGER) BRUSSELS FOR USAID/PLERNER AND APHIS/PFERNANDEZ 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: KFLU EAGR EAID CASC SENV SOCI TBIO FAO WHO AVIAN INFLUENZA SUBJECT: AVIAN INFLUENZA: WEEKLY UPDATE ON FAO ACTIVITIES #3 FOR THE WEEK ENDING MARCH 24, 2006 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; (G) 06 ROME 0000 (sic); (H) 06 UN ROME 0315; (I) 06 UN ROME 0430; (J) 06 UN ROME 0464; (K) 06 UN ROME 0626; (L) UN ROME 0678; (M) 06 UN ROME 0766; (N) 06 UN ROME 0860 ¶1. Summary: Three FAO documents were shared with USMISSIN UN ROME this week: -- Following meetings earlier this month with several donors, FAO and OIE (the World Organization for Animal Health) released on March 17 the jointly prepared proposal to strengthen response to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) through a crisis management center. -- A member of FAO's Animal Production and HEALTH Division (AGA) shared his Back-to-Office (BTO) report on a mission to Cambodia to give a presentation at a USDA-funded workshop. -- A member of FAO's Emergency Operations and Rehabilitation Division (TCE) shared his BTO report on a mission to Nigeria to establish an emergency country unit, prepare country project proposals, and meet with donors, including USAID. End Summary -------------- -------------- FAO/OIE Proposal for an HPAI Crisis Management Center -------------- -------------- ¶2. At the initiative of the United States, FAO and OIE held meetings earlier this month in Rome with several donors, including the United States, the European Community, the Netherlands, Canada, France, Germany and Switzerland, on the need to develop a crisis management center to respond to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI)(reftel L?). An outcome of these meetings was the release on March 17 of the jointly prepared FAO and OIE (the World Organization for Animal Health) proposal entitled, "Strengthening the FAO Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases Operations (ECTAD) through the FAO/OIE Crisis Management Centre for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza and other Transboundary Animal Diseases (TADs)." The center aims to support concerted international efforts to contain and control of HPAI whose continued spread from Asia to Europe to Africa indicates that current containment measures are not sufficient, especially in developing countries that have less than adequate veterinary service infrastructures. ¶3. The center will operate under the FAO/OIE agreed Global Framework for the Progressive Control of Transboundary Animal Diseases (GF-TADs),which includes the tripartite partnership between FAO, OIE and WHO for the establishment of a Global Early Warning and Response System (GLEWS) for major transboundary animal diseases and zoonoses. It will be based at FAO headquarters in Rome and will consist of: ¶A. an HPAI crisis monitoring center that will be operated continually and assemble, analyze and communicate relevant disease data and early warning messages (GLEWS element); ¶B. an operational facility to assemble and deploy rapidly specialized, professional, international multidisciplinary teams (International Rapid Assessment Teams and International Rapid Response Teams),that will offer immediate assistance to countries in designing counter- epizootic measures to curb outbreaks; improving surveillance, detection and control; and in meeting reporting obligations to OIE. All actions will be guided by the established guidelines and strategies developed by FAO/OIE and by the relevant international animal HEALTH standards established by the OIE. ¶C. a coordination facility that will act as a clearing-house for bilateral and multilateral country support to synergize global efforts. The international response capabilities to country demands for rehabilitation and restructuring of the veterinary and poultry production systems will be improved through the deployment of assessment teams that determine short-, mid- and long-term comprehensive requirements for investment. Assessments will also cover economic, social and environmental implications of the disease. ¶D. a dedicated space (estimated at 500 square meters) in close association with ECTAD, composed of staff from AGA and TCE for improved interaction between technical and operational aspects of HPAI intervention (i.e., viral spread/mitigation and real-time disease appraisal; staff/team deployment and management; inter-institutional coordination); and ¶E. encompasses a Command System including training modules, publications/communications management, procedures for qualification and certification, and supporting technology, particularly ICT, with corresponding human support. ¶3. The overall cost is estimated at $10,380,000 for the center's inception, with yearly follow-up costs of $7,300,000. Donors have been asked to provide feedback on the proposal by March 24. Thus far, the Netherlands has responded, praising FAO and OIE for an outstanding document, noting it will be of great value to the control of HPAI worldwide and making good use of existing structures. The Netherlands has also requested that the proposal include a budget for consultancy fees equivalent to the total number of consultancy days, and limiting the need for extraordinary qualification requirements for experts. Lastly, the Netherlands suggested that qualifications and tailor-made terms of reference for personnel and assessments, depending on country needs. ¶4. USMISSION UN ROME has been communicating with AGA and TCE to arrange for follow-up meetings during the week of April 3 for USDA administrative personnel to settle details relating to deploying both short- and long-term staff to FAO for this endeavor. In addition to meeting with AGA and TCE staff, meetings are being arranged with FAO Human Resources, Procurement and Administration/Finance. -------------- -------------- Cambodia BTO: USDA Avian Influenza and Surveillance Workshop -------------- -------------- ¶5. Vincent Martin, Rome-based Animal HEALTH Officer, AGA, attended the USDA-sponsored Avian Influenza and Surveillance Workshop held in Phnom Penh from March 7-10. The workshop, which was attended by 33 nationals from the Cambodian National Veterinary Services, representatives from USDA, U.S. Geological Survey, FAO, Wildlife Protection Office and Wildlife Conservation Society, aimed to introduce, among others, the fundamentals of Avian Influenza, review the current understanding of wild bird populations in Cambodia (their ecology and movement),and identify priorities and opportunities to establish a national Avian Influenza wildlife surveillance system in Cambodia. ¶6. Martin gave a presentation on the FAO perspective on wild bird surveillance, illustrated by recent FAO wild bird surveillance activities in Africa. He suggested that similar studies should be implemented in Asia where the disease is still endemic and the exact role of wild birds in HPAI cycle is still unclear. Martin also noted that FAO is planning to initiate a series of studies, in collaboration with the Wildlife Conservation Society, Wetlands International and the Free University of Brussels, that should contribute to a better understanding of the role played by wild birds in the HPAI epidemiological cycle. -------------- -------------- Nigeria BTO: USDA Avian Influenza and Surveillance Workshop -------------- -------------- ¶7. Mariano Gosi, TCE Consultant, traveled to Nigeria from March 2-13 to a) assist the FAO Representative (FAOR) in establishing the Emergency ECTAD Country Unit; and b) work with the FAOR and the donor community to prepare a national project proposal. Gosi reported that HPAI control operations are being coordinated at the national level by the Federal Department of Livestock and Pest Control Services (FDLPCS) and at state level by the State Departments of Veterinary Services. Government of Nigeria (GoN) operations thus far covered four fields of action: i) disease investigation and surveillance; ii) disease containment (stamping out and decontamination: about 500,000 poultry heads had been destroyed in Kano and Nasarawa States); iii) compensation to farmers (the GoN commenced compensation payments in Kano); and iv) public communication and awareness. Lastly, training of laboratory staff on Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) techniques in the National Veterinary Research Institute in Vom continues. ¶8. Gosi reported that he met with several donors, including USAID/EGAT/Abuja Michael Satin and USAID/EGAT/Washington James Yazman to prepare and submit a $1.5 million project document, entitled "Technical Assistance to the Government of Nigeria for Control and Eradication of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in support of Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development." The 18-month-long project aims to increase the capability of veterinarians to prevent and control HPAI. It also includes a behavioral change/bio-security component to help transform poultry production systems and employ best practices, and a community-based participatory rural livestock and poultry disease surveillance system that would be integrated into the existing epidemiology surveillance network. ¶9. Gosi also met with representatives from the European Union (EU) and Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) to discuss and submit the $450,000 standard project proposal module, entitled "Technical Assistance to the Government of Nigeria for Control of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in ONE Selected State," which complements the federal level proposal. ¶10. USMISSION UN ROME will continue to disseminate widely FAO activities to combat and control Avian Influenza. Hall