Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06SOFIA1042
2006-07-26 03:44:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Sofia
Cable title:  

AVIAN FLU DISCOVERED IN BULGARIAN DOMESTIC FLOCKS,

Tags:  TBIO KSTH ECON PREL SOCI WHO BU 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO1158
RR RUEHAST
DE RUEHSF #1042/01 2070344
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 260344Z JUL 06
FM AMEMBASSY SOFIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2279
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHINGTON DC 0979
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SOFIA 001042 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

EUR/NCE FOR SCOTT BRANDON; USAID/E&E/ECA FOR RAMSEY DAY;
USAID/E&E/DGST FOR NATHAN BLANCHET

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: TBIO KSTH ECON PREL SOCI WHO BU
SUBJECT: AVIAN FLU DISCOVERED IN BULGARIAN DOMESTIC FLOCKS,
BUT PRELIMINARY TESTS FIND NO H5


SOFIA 00001042 001.2 OF 002



UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SOFIA 001042

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

EUR/NCE FOR SCOTT BRANDON; USAID/E&E/ECA FOR RAMSEY DAY;
USAID/E&E/DGST FOR NATHAN BLANCHET

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: TBIO KSTH ECON PREL SOCI WHO BU
SUBJECT: AVIAN FLU DISCOVERED IN BULGARIAN DOMESTIC FLOCKS,
BUT PRELIMINARY TESTS FIND NO H5


SOFIA 00001042 001.2 OF 002




1. SUMMARY: Avian Influenza (AI) has been identified in
poultry in Slanchogled (a predominantly ethnic-Turkish
village in the southern Kardzhali region),where at least 107
chickens died between July 11 and 19. This is the first
suspected case of AI in domestic stock. Until now, all other
reported cases of AI in Bulgaria were found in wild birds;
testing in those cases found the H5N1 strain that is deadly
to birds but not humans. The Minister of Agriculture and
Forestry ordered all birds and poultry products in the area
to be destroyed while tests are conducted to determine the
cause of death. On July 26, samples will be sent to the UK
for further testing. The two people who had contact with
infected birds are under medical observation and show no
signs of illness. The head of the National Veterinary
Service attributes the infections to migrating birds or
Turkish citizens visiting relatives in Bulgaria. No poultry
products from the region have been released on the market. A
campaign developed by UNICEF to build public awareness of AI
will be implemented immediately in the Kardzhali region; the
GoB has not yet allocated funding for a nationwide
informational campaign. END SUMMARY

--------------
THE OUTBREAK
--------------


2. Three domestic birds were found dead on July 11 in
Slanchogled, a predominantly ethnically Turkish village in
the Kardzhali region. Veterinarians first suspected that the
birds had been poisoned, then later attributed the deaths to
Newcastle,s Disease (ND),which had struck the village
months earlier. On July 12, tests came back negative for ND,
and more chickens and turkeys continued to die. The first
positive results for AI came back on July 20, after at least
107 birds had been found dead. As a result, 1526 birds have
been destroyed in three villages within three kilometers of
Slanchogled. The Government has disbursed a total of 14,555

leva (USD 9,500) in compensation to villagers. Veterinarians
reported on July 23 that the outbreak was under control after
the destruction of all birds in the village.


3. The Sofia Referential Laboratory has confirmed that the
infection is mixed ) both ND and AI ) but it will take some
time to isolate the AI virus because of ND's predominance.
Test results thus far have determined that this is a
low-pathogen strain of AI rather than the more virulent H5
and H7 strains that are dangerous to humans. Bulgaria is
preparing six samples to be sent on July 26 to the UK,s
Waybridge lab (the worldwide reference lab for N1);
definitive results will not be available for 4 to 6 days
after that.

--------------
PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES IN FORCE
--------------


4. The head of the National Veterinary Service attributes
the infections to migrating birds or Turkish citizens
visiting relatives in Bulgaria. There are no large poultry
production firms in the area, and no poultry products from
the region have been released on the market. The Ministry of
Agriculture has quarantined a 3-km zone around Slanchogled
for 21 days, and will monitor a 7-km swath around it for the
same period of time. Within the 3-km zone, samples of avian
fecal matter continue to be taken for additional testing.
When the 21-day quarantine period expires on August 10, birds
will be reintroduced in 4 locations in the region and
monitored constantly for 14 days. If nothing anomalous is
observed, villagers in the region will again be permitted to
raise birds and the local poultry markets will be reopened.
By taking these measures, Bulgarian authorities are hoping to
head off an EU ban on Bulgarian poultry. Police have
established checkpoints in the Kardzhali region to prevent
nonresidents from entering. Local residents may leave the
area after being processed by the Sanitary Inspection units.
The regional police chief has added special police operations
on roads in the region to prevent the transport of meat and
bird products outside the region.


6. According to the Minister of Health, the GoB maintains a
stock of 160,000 packages of Remantadin and 2000 packages of
Tamiflu. Two hospitals ) the Infectious Disease Hospital in
Sofia and the Saint Marina Hospital in Varna ) are prepared
to accept patients with AI. They each have 100 packages of
Tamiflu. The Government intends to allocate an additional
50,000 leva (USD 33,000) to the National Veterinary Agency
for consumables, equipment, and disinfectant materials.

SOFIA 00001042 002.2 OF 002



-------------- --------------
UNICEF PRESENTS PLANS FOR AI AWARENESS CAMPAIGN TO MOH
-------------- --------------


7. On July 24, we attended a meeting at the Ministry of
Health during which UNICEF presented its Communications
Strategy for AI to MoH representatives and members of an AI
Working Group, which was established by donor agencies in
March. Representatives of USAID, WHO, and UNDP were all in
attendance. The UNICEF campaign includes disseminating
informational brochures in Bulgarian, and sponsoring radio
and television announcements in Bulgarian and Turkish. The
UNICEF campaign, which will target Roma, children, and
farmers, emphasizes the social benefits of reporting cases of
AI. Because of the ethnically mixed character of the region,
the Sofia office has requested that its Ankara office provide
Turkish-language materials, which it will modify for the
local Bulgarian context. UNICEF also intends to add a
component emphasizing responsible media reporting on AI. The
materials will be quickly finalized for immediate use in the
Kardzhali region, and then more carefully revised for
national implementation.


8. Although UNICEF has been working on this public awareness
campaign for some time, it has not committed to funding
implementation on the national scale. The $30,000 allocated
by the GoB for AI is intended to fund other MoH events, not
merely the implementation of UNICEF,s communications
strategy. In the absence of GoB funds in the short term,
UNICEF has agreed to pony up $4000 to implement the awareness
campaign in the Kardzhali region. Its local representative
stressed that the GoB must solicit funding from other donors
if it lacks the resources for national implementation.
Additional UNICEF funding may become available in September,
and UNDP intends to provide $20,000 for training.


9. COMMENT: The Government,s response to the outbreak was
prompt, but local veterinarians only began to suspect AI
after field tests for ND came back negative. The slow
response at the village level to dying backyard flocks
demonstrates the difficulty faced by the Government in
mounting a quick intervention to stem the spread of the
disease, particularly since it lacks the resources to
vigorously implement its National Pandemic Plan. We are
particularly pleased with the GoB's rapid compensation of
villagers for their destroyed birds -- this effort will
encourage poultry farmers to report dead fowl quickly without
concern over losing their livelihoods. The USG should
continue to advocate a coordinated approach to AI that
utilizes the resources of the donor community and urges the
GoB to fully fund prevention and response efforts. END
COMMENT

Freden