CROATIA AVIAN INFLUENZA UPDATE: JUNE 14

UNCLAS ZAGREB 000740 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: TBIO SENV ECON EAGR PREL CASC KFLU HR SUBJECT: CROATIA AVIAN INFLUENZA UPDATE: JUNE 14 REF: ZAGREB 459 AND PREVIOUS ¶1. (SUMMARY) WHILE THERE HAVE BEEN NO NEW REPORTS OF AVIAN INFLUENZA (AI) IN CROATIA, SCIENTISTS AT THE CROATIAN VETERINARY INSTITUTE'S POULTRY CENTER ARE USING A NEWLY PURCHASED REAL-TIME PCR MACHINE FOR ROUTINE TESTING OF WILD BIRDS. THE CENTER DIRECTOR SAID NOW CROATIA IS BETTER PREPARED IN CASE OF ANOTHER AI OUTBREAK. THE MACHINE WILL ENABLE SCIENTISTS TO TEST FOR AI MORE EFFICIENTLY AND QUICKLY, WITH LESS DANGER OF EXPOSURE TO THE VIRUS BY THE CENTER STAFF. IT WILL ALSO ALLOW THE CENTER TO TAKE A MORE PROACTIVE APPROACH IN TESTING FOR THE VIRUS. (END SUMMARY) ¶2. DR. VLADIMIR SAVIC, DIRECTOR OF THE POULTRY CENTER OF THE CROATIAN VETERINARY INSTITUTE, SHOWED ECONOFFS THE NEW REAL-TIME POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION (PCR) MACHINE AT THE CENTER. ALTHOUGH THERE HAVE BEEN NO NEW REPORTED CASES OF AI IN CROATIA SINCE LATE MARCH, SAVIC HAS BEEN RUNNING SAMPLES ON THE NEW MACHINE SINCE IT WAS SET UP JUNE 7 TO CALIBRATE THE EQUIPMENT. ¶3. SAVIC SAID CURRENTLY THE CENTER IS CONDUCTING PASSIVE MONITORING, TESTING DEAD BIRDS AS THEY ARE REPORTED. ABOUT 50 DEAD BIRDS ARE REPORTED DAILY WITH A VARIETY OF CAUSES OF MORTALITY. IN THE FALL, SCIENTISTS PLAN TO CONDUCT ACTIVE MONITORING AT CRITICAL LOCATIONS SUCH AS LAKES, FISHPONDS AND OTHER HABITATS OF BIRDS LIKELY TO CARRY THE VIRUS. SAVIC SAID THEY PLAN TO CATCH 2,300 WILD BIRDS AND RELEASE THEM AFTER TESTING. HE CRITICIZED A PRESS REPORT THAT INACCURATELY SAID THE CENTER PLANNED TO KILL 2,300 BIRDS. ¶4. After the recent outbreak in Romania, Savic traveled there to meet Romanian scientists battling AI in poultry. He said he doesn't expect any impact in Croatia because the virus is not being found in wild birds, only poultry, which is not crossing the border. Savic believes that human mishandling of infected poultry was more likely the cause of the Romanian outbreak than wild birds. ¶5. SAVIC NOTED THAT HE WAS ALSO ASKED TO GIVE A BRIEFING ON CROATIA'S HANDLING OF THE AVIAN INFLUENZA INCIDENTS TO CROATIAN MILITARY OFFICIALS WHO WILL PARTICIPATE IN MILITARY EXERCISES IN UKRAINE IN SEPTEMBER. FRANK