AVIAN FLU PREPAREDNESS IN ARMENIA

UNCLAS YEREVAN 001686

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR OES, EUR/CARC, EUR/ACE AND EUR/PGI - CCONNORS
PLEASE PASS TO USAID - APEREIRA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAGR EAID PREL TBIO KFLU AM
SUBJECT: AVIAN FLU PREPAREDNESS IN ARMENIA

REF: A. A) STATE 190899

B. B) YEREVAN 268


1. The GOAM, with support from the USG, has significantly
improved its avian flu preparedness, but would still face
serious challenges responding to a large-scale outbreak. At
a recent meeting, Deputy Minister of Agriculture Levon
Rukhkian told us that the Ministry had almost completed a
series of regional training seminars for veterinarians based
on the National Response Plan. The seminars, which were
designed with USG assistance, focus on teaching veterinarians
to identify suspicious bird deaths, conduct preliminary field
testing for AI, prepare and ship samples to a central lab in
Yerevan and implement appropriate quarantine and culling
measures. USAID has also helped Armenia to procure and equip
two rapid response vans which will deploy to any area where
there is a suspected AI outbreak to assist with case
identification and appropriate response measures. The vans
are scheduled to be fully operational in the next two weeks.


2. In-country diagnostic capacity remains limited, but is
improving. The GOAM has refurbished its central veterinary
lab and is expecting a new PCR testing unit to be installed
in the coming weeks. Lab technicians have already been
trained on the equipment both locally and in the US.
Rukhkian told us his ministry also plans to work with a newly
PCR-equipped private laboratory. Rukhkian said that in the
event of a suspicious case, the GOAM would be willing to send
samples to the OIE reference lab in Padua, Italy, the lab in
Wheybridge, England and the Vladimir lab in Moscow. The GOAM
would try to send portions of the same sample to all three
labs so the labs could confirm each others' results.
Rukhkian was aware of the AI Conference in Bamako, Mali (ref
A),but said that the GOAM would not attend because of
financial constraints.


3. COMMENT: AI preparedness in Armenia has improved
significantly since the January 2006 outbreak in Turkey. The
Ministry of Agriculture has been particularly active and,
thanks to timely support from the USG, the government now has
a communications strategy, trained veterinarians and will
soon have improved diagnostic capacity. The World Bank
project to support AI preparedness has been delayed due to
disagreements over the project's scope, but USG assistance
has been effectively bridging the gap (ref B). The GOAM will
likely need additional support, however, if there is a
large-scale animal outbreak, a human case, or in the event of
human-to-human transmission.
GODFREY