CROATIA: AVIAN INFLUENZA UPDATE: MARCH 15

UNCLAS ZAGREB 000358 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT PLEASE PASS TO DS/DSS, DS/IP, M/MED/JCTRIPLETT FAS/CMP/DLP WETZEL AND MAGGINNIS FAS/ITP/EAMED POMEROY AND FLEMING CA/OCS/ACS DAVID SCHENSTED USAID FOR E&E/ECA/B/ANNE CONVERY E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KFLU TBIO SENV ECON EAGR PREL CASC HR SUBJECT: CROATIA: AVIAN INFLUENZA UPDATE: MARCH 15 REF: ZAGREB 252 AND PREVIOUS ¶1. SUMMARY: Several more wild birds have been confirmed as positive for H5N1 in Croatia. These discoveries have not activated any of Embassy Zagreb's tripwires but Post has sent a warden message with an update on the situation in Croatia and general information on avian flu. Dr. Gjenero- Margan, Director of Epidemiology and Infectious Disease at the Croatian Institute for Public Health reviewed Croatia's preparedness posture with Emboffs on March 10, 2006. END SUMMARY ¶2. On March 15, the Poultry Center lab at the Croatian Veterinary Institute confirmed that a dead swan found in the Baranja region of Croatia close to the Hungarian and Serbian borders was infected with H5N1. The GOC is continuing to test birds from the Pantan nature park near Trogir (where an infected swan was found in February) and, so far, several river gulls have tested positive for H5N1. ¶3. These discoveries have not activated any of Embassy Zagreb's tripwires. Post placed a warden message with information on the reappearance of H5N1 in Croatia and the State Department's avian and pandemic flu fact sheet on the announcements section of the Embassy website. At a well-attended town hall meeting for American citizens in western Croatia, hosted by the Ambassador, consular staff answered questions and handed out a variety of written material on avian flu. Three more town hall events are scheduled for the spring in other major Croatian cities and information on avian and pandemic influenza will be provided at all three events. ¶4. Emboffs met with Dr. Gjenero-Margan, Director of Epidemiology and Infectious Disease at the Croatian Institute for Public Health, on March 10, 2006. Margan provided Emboffs with the status of the recommended preparedness steps outlined in the Croatian national pandemic preparedness plan (in the plan, all steps should be completed by May 2006). Many, but not all, of the steps have been completed. For example, the Institute continues to work with the county health headquarters, which include veterinarians, hospital representatives, epidemiologists and sanitary inspectors, to draft local level plans, including contingencies for increases in flu-related morbidity and mortality. These county health headquarters, in turn, coordinate with field health units (there are approximately 130 field units in Croatia, about 1 for every 40,000 inhabitants). The Institute is also still working on increasing its lab biosafety level from 2 to 3 or 4. Finally, Margan confirmed that although the Ministry of Health has a small stockpile of Tamiflu and there is Tamiflu in pharmacies for seasonal flu, the GOC is still waiting for more. FRANK