H5N1 CONFIRMED IN BENIN AVIAN INFLUENZA OUTBREAK

UNCLAS COTONOU 000950 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/W DBANKS AND G/AIAG MJONES DEPT PLEASE PASS USAID FOR MHARVEY, GGREER, GBERTOLIN, NSTUDZINSKI AND JBORRAZZO USDA FOR FAS MROSENBLUM DAKAR FOR USDA/APHIS CFRENCH AND RCOLY AND FAS RHANSON ROME FOR SPANOS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAGR TBIO KFLU BN SUBJECT: H5N1 CONFIRMED IN BENIN AVIAN INFLUENZA OUTBREAK REF: (A) COTONOU 948 (B) COTONOU 932 1.(SBU) Summary: Test results on the poultry which died from avian influenza (AI) in Benin (Ref B) indicate that the poultry was positive for H5N1. Roger Dovonou, the Minister of Agriculture, announced the results on television on December 15, 2007. The GOB began, over the weekend of December 15 - 16, a culling campaign in the affected areas. No new AI outbreaks have been reported as of December 17. The GOB needs to begin exercising more coordination of the response to AI. End Summary. 2.(U) Dovonou announced on December 15 that tests performed in Padova, Italy confirmed the poultry which died in Adjarra and Cotonou tested positive for H5N1. Dovonou spoke to the public on the need to alert the authorities to sick poultry and to cook poultry well. The GOB is currently treating AI as an agricultural problem with the response lead by the Ministry of Agriculture. The Ministry of Health has not yet begun to play a role in the response. 3.(U) The GOB began a culling operation over the weekend in Adjarra and Cotonou. It expects to cull 2,000 birds in Cotonou and 27,000 in Adjarra. The FAO has determined there is a need for $120,000 for compensation for farmers who lose their chickens to the culling campaign. The GOB has not yet identified the source for this money and farmers have not been compensated for birds culled to date. 3.(U) The FAO and GOB finalized the budget to deal with a 6 month campaign against AI at a cost of $1.9 million. The plan is predicated on funding the response to 6 new outbreaks occurring over the next 6 months. UNICEF will provide $75,000 to fund the roll-out of the previously developed communications plan on AI and UNDP plans to provide $75,000 for emergency support and containment activities. 4.(SBU) Comment: The GOB has not yet ramped up its coordinating capacity to respond to these outbreaks. Donors, including UNICEF and UNDP, are ready to act but need coordination from the Ministry of Agriculture. The GOB needs to move swiftly to coordinate a communications campaign to raise public awareness of AI and put in place a compensation fund to discourage farmers from hiding their sick poultry. End Comment. BROWN