FUNDING REQUEST FOR AI HEALTH AWARENESS PSAS

UNCLAS YEREVAN 000167

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR OES, EUR/CARC, EUR/PPD, EUR/ACE AND AIG - CMEIRS
PLEASE PASS TO USAID - APEREIRA

E.O. 12958; N/A
TAGS: AM KFLU KPAO
SUBJECT: FUNDING REQUEST FOR AI HEALTH AWARENESS PSAS

REF: A. STATE 05323


B. BAKU 00203

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SUMMARY
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1. Per ref A announcement, Embassy Yerevan would like to request
USD 50,000 for the development and broadcast of television Public
Service Announcements (PSAs) on health and food safety issues
related to Avian Influenza. While UNICEF and others have produced
posters and leaflets targeted at children and poultry producers,
television PSAs would reach a much broader audience. Although AI
continues to be a serious threat to the region, especially in our
neighboring countries of Turkey and Azerbaijan, Armenian concern
about the virus has considerably lessened in recent months. We
believe that now is an important time to raise public awareness
about AI health issues in the broader population.


2. Using television as a means of communication will allow us to
remind Armenians throughout the country how to avoid behavior that
could put them at risk to AI without causing general panic.
Television is perhaps the most effective means of reaching the
general population in Armenia. As a November, 2006 IRI poll
revealed, 97 percent of Armenians receive their information from
television. The PSAs will draw on messages already developed and
tested in Armenia by UNICEF and other organizations on such general
hygiene topics as food handling, hand washing, and safe treatment of
birds and poultry. By using messages already tested in-country, we
will ensure that the PSAs will not create unnecessary concern or
panic. In addition, the PSAs will be developed in consultation with
the GOAM. USD 10,000 of the funding will finance the development of
a series of four to five PSAs by a local production company, and the
remaining USD 40,000 will fund the broadcast of the PSAs on
approximately two Yerevan-based television stations and three
regional stations. We plan that the PSAs will be aired three times
a day for two months.


3. While Armenia has not yet reported any cases of H5N1, two of its
four neighboring countries--Turkey and Azerbaijan--have reported
human cases. Armenia's other two neighbors--Iran and Georgia--have
reported animal cases. Outbreaks in the region are continuing to be
identified. In the first half of February, 2007 alone, Turkey
announced an AI outbreak at a farm in Batman province approximately
375 km from Armenia, and Azeri TV announced that AI had been found
in the bodies of several dead birds in Neftcala, approximately 230
km from the Armenian border. (Note: Per ref B, the GOAJ said the
information was incorrect and denied an AI outbreak. An FAO
consultant will travel to the region to investigate. End note.)



4. While these instances show that AI has been found on virtually
every side of Armenia, much of the Armenian population continues to
believe that the country is somehow immune to the virus. The
Misconception that Armenia is somehow different from its neighbors
is prevalent, causing people to believe that the virus is not a
threat to them. While AI was covered broadly by the Armenian press
in early 2006 when the virus first became a major issue in Turkey,
there has been a steady decline in interest and information about
the issue in Armenia. As AI continues to be a threat to the region,
we believe that now is an essential time to focus on AI public
diplomacy efforts.

GODFREY