AVIAN INFLUENZA: LAO WEEKLY REPORT APRIL 21

UNCLAS VIENTIANE 000364 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR G, EAP/MLA WEYER, INR, CA/OCS/ACS/EAP, AND MED BANGKOK FOR USAID MACARTHUR, RMO, CDC, AND REO JWALLER PASS TO USTR, USAID DCARROLL, AND HHS EELVANDER ROME FOR FAO APHIS FOR PERKINS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: TBIO ECON SOCI PREL LA SUBJECT: AVIAN INFLUENZA: LAO WEEKLY REPORT APRIL 21 REF: VIENTIANE 332 AND PREVIOUS ¶1. (SBU) AI in Ducks: New information from Dr. Webster provided in a summary of a manuscript being submitted to "Nature" indicates that the number of H5N1 infected ducks his project documented in Laos exceeded 30. These findings resulted from a joint project between St. Jude Hospital and that National Center for Animal Health, Lao Ministry of Agriculture. To date, the GOL has not disseminated the findings to the general public. ¶2. (U) Wet Market Workshop: USDA continues to seek a partner for its Wet Market Wild Bird Workshop. It is not inclined to use FAO because of the high costs involved. Other NGO possibilities are being explored but they need to have the requisite organizational capacity and an existing MOU with the GOL under which this activity could be sanctioned. ¶3. (U) Staffing: APHIS has advised it will be submitting an NSD 38 proposal for a representative at post. ¶4. (U) Meeting with AFRIMS (Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences): Emboff is in Bangkok meeting with AFRIMS regarding Thai plans to build a Biosafety Level 3 laboratory in Thailand. Of interest is when this will happen and whether human viral samples from Laos will be accepted there for analysis. If the lab will be for regional use, it will be important to work out procedures and permissions in advance of possible border closings during a pandemic. ¶5. (U) Meeting with CDC: Emboff is also met to discuss in-country lab training for Lao technicians with CDC Bangkok and the RTG's MoPH. Lao human capacity is very low and Thailand is an ideal training partner, given the language similarities. It was agreed that a team from CDC-RTG MoPH will travel to Vientiane the first week of June to meet with representatives of the Lao MoPH to discuss this further. HASLACH