AU-IBAR HOSTS REGIONAL AVIAN INFLUENZA WORKSHOP

UNCLAS GABORONE 000932


DEPT FOR OES/PCI, OES/FO, OES/ENV, OES/IHA
DEPT FOR AF/S, AF/EPS AND EB

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KHIV TBIO ECON EAID SOCI BC
SUBJECT: AU-IBAR HOSTS REGIONAL AVIAN INFLUENZA WORKSHOP


1. Summary: The African Union's Inter-Bureau for Animal Resources
(AU-IBAR) hosted October 2-4 in Gaborone an Avian Influenza (AI)
technical workshop for Southern Africa officials from the Ministries
of Agriculture and Health, the World Health Organization
(WHO),the World Animal Health Organization (OIE),the European
Union (EU),and other donors, including USAID. AU-IBAR said it has
budgeted USD 22.2 million for regional AI activities, Southern
African governments should allocate more of their own resources to
combating the disease. Dr. Bonaventure Mtei from the OIE-hosted
Regional Animal Health Center (RAHC) highlighted its collaboration
with the UN's Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and AU-IBAR
to address animal health in Southern Africa, and expectations of
closer cooperation with the WHO. USAID explained U.S. government
(USG) interventions in the region and the WHO and OIE stressed the
importance of preparedness and information sharing. Other issues
raised included; a) HPAI communication at national and regional
levels; b) HPAI outbreak management and control, and emergency
response; d) AI surveillance of wild birds in Sothern Africa; and g)
HPAI diagnostic capacity, networks, procedures and gaps. Closing
recommendations included a call to SADC members for continued and
enhanced coordination between AU-IBAR's SPINAP initiative and
existing programming support; technical assistance; and/or funding
from USAID, the World Bank, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC),and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
End Summary

The Workshop
--------------


2. The African Union's Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources
(AU-IBAR) hosted October 2-4 at the Big Five Lodge in Gaborone an
Avian Influenza (AI) technical workshop for Southern Africa.
Attendees included Ministries of Health (MOH) and Agricultural
officials and National AI Coordinators from almost every member of
the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) except South
Africa, as well as from the WHO, the OIE, the EU and other
cooperation partners, such as USAID's Regional AI Coordinator. The
overall aim of this and other AI technical workshops sponsored by
AU-IBAR is to improve regional coordination of the implementation of
the EU-funded Support Program for Integrated National Action Plans
for Avian and Human Influenza (SPINAP-AHI) by bringing the key
actors together to share ideas and knowledge, and harmonize their
understanding of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) strategies
for their effective application at national level. In addition,
SPINAP-AHI organized this meeting in close collaboration with the
regional economic communities to: a) have the gathering coincide
with the signing of some of the funding agreements with AU-IBAR; and
b) to give the countries a clear understanding of the best way to
utilize the funds provided by the program.

Role and Views of AU-IBAR
--------------


3. In his welcoming remarks, AU-IBAR Acting Director Dr. Ahmed El
Sawahly thanked Botswana for hosting the event and the attending
nations for their commitment to, and efforts on AI pandemic
preparedness, and donors for their technical and financial support.
In addition to explaining the history and role of AU-IBAR, which was
created in 1951 to deal with animal disease threats, El Sawahly said
his organization has a major role to play in tackling transboundary
zoonotic diseases. He noted that HPAI is now affecting 61 countries
and thus remains a serious global threat. He admonished that while
AU-IBAR has budgeted USD 22.2 million for regional AI activities,
Southern African governments should allocate more of their own
resources to combating the disease. AI could only be controlled by
a regional, coordinated approach, he warned, and it would take just
one uncooperative country to cause a weak link in the system.


4. El Sawahly then explained the SPINAP funding and application
processes. He revealed that nine countries had signed agreements
(two in Southern Africa) and 19 accords are pending, six of which
are from Southern Africa. SPINAP is in the process of releasing
funds to finance emergency preparedness against HPAI in eligible
African, and Asian, Caribbean and Pacific (Africa ACP) countries.
Funding for countries is based on applications derived from their
SPINAP Emergency Preparedness Request (EPR) plans submitted to
AU-IBAR. El Sawahly noted that an assessment of received
applications, and feedback from inception workshops indicate
significant disparities in technical capacities and their
formulation of AI interventions. Among the key areas of interest
expressed by applicants are cross-border coordination and
harmonization of interventions. He added that there were also
varying interpretations and applications of available strategies to
combat AI, further demonstrating a need to discuss them in order to
reach a common understanding on their effective application.


5. In a second AU-IBAR intervention, Dr. Baboucarr Jaw discussed the
importance of regional networks for HPAI and other telephone-based
disease surveillance (TBDS),as well as information sharing. He
stressed that regional networking offered the opportunity to enhance
the capacity of national veterinary services and to negotiate
capacity thresholds in standards-setting fora. Jaw lamented the
lack of clarity in reporting responsibilities, with some countries
only reporting to SADC and the OIE, but not the AU-IBAR. He allowed
that disease reporting mechanisms are clearly defined, but adherence
mechanisms remain weak. He acknowledged the economic consequences
due to reported outbreaks, but noted that some countries do regular
reporting. He opined that informed planning and decision making are
the keys to success. Finally, he urged all countries to make use of
the Livestock Information Management Systems (LIMS).

OIE AND SADC
--------------


6. Dr. Bonaventure Mtei of OIE, which hosts the Regional Animal
Health Center (RAHC) based in Gaborone, a joint center with FAO and
AU-IBAR, discussed the coordination of HPAI prevention and control
interventions, challenges, and best practices. He highlighted
RAHC's collaboration with the UN's Food and Agricultural
Organization (FAO) and AU-IBAR to address animal health in Southern
Africa, and expectations of closer cooperation with the WHO. Mtei
said countries need to assess the capacity of their veterinary
services, using OIE criteria, but did note that most of SADC members
already comply. In addition, governments should use the opportunity
of heightened animal health awareness and no immediate AI outbreaks
to eradicate other animal diseases such as Newcastle. In his
remarks Mr. Beedee Hulman from the SADC Secretariat thanked members
for their cooperation on AI and AU-IBAR for hosting their third
workshop in 2008. (Note: The first, for Eastern Africa, took place
July 29-31, 2008 in Kampala, Uganda, and the second one, for Western
Africa, took place August 19-21 in Bamako, Mali 2008. End Note). He
echoed El Sawahly's warning about the continuing threat of AI and
noted the importance of vigilance and preparedness. Hulman also
described the activities of SADC's Joint Technical Committee,
established to enhance AI preparedness. The Committee, which has
received funding support from the Belgian government, USAID through
FAO, OIE, and others, has already met three times.

The GOB's View
--------------


7. The MOA's newly-appointed Director of Veterinary Health Services
Dr. Moetapele Letshwenyo also thanked AU-IBAR for its assistance,
which he said was very important to Botswana's AI preparedness
efforts. He expressed the National AI Coordinators in attendance
would gain a better understanding of AI preparedness and the SPINAP
program from the 3-day workshop. He concluded by noting that there
is no room for complacency and surveillance remains critical. The
GTZ representative (Germany) opined that the workshop would
hopefully facilitate greater intersectoral integration of AI
preparedness, harmonize countries' understanding of the SPINAP
program (which is important given the imminence of project
implementation),and improve coordination on surveillance and
communication.

USAID's Role
--------------


8. USAID's Kimberly Crunkleton explained the USG's AI program in
Southern Africa, which is largely managed by USAID, in collaboration
with the U.S. CDC and Department of Agriculture (USDA). Key
partners include the FAO's RAHC, AI.COMM, Stop AI, WHO/AFRO, CDC,
the Naval Medical Research Unit (NAMRU),the Global Avian Influenza
Network for Surveillance (GAINS),AI Deliverance, the UN Pandemic
Influenza Contingency (UN-PIC),and the International Livestock
Research Institute (ILRI). She said USAID's strategic approach to
AI preparedness aims to build on existing platforms using a
two-track approach, namely regional and national programs. Key
objectives of both programs are to: a) Build on already existing
platforms and capabilities; b) Focus on activities that could
contribute immediately to the detection and containment of HPAI in
animal and human populations (e.g., preparedness planning,
surveillance and detection); c) Promote well-coordinated and
integrated response covering animal and human infection; d) Enhance
and share sub-regional technical capabilities and expertise, with a
focus on those areas of most immediate vulnerability. Ms.
Crunkleton also highlighted past USAID South Africa assistance
focused on regional activities such as: i)
staffing/preparedness/coordination (USD 63,000; part-time
coordinator and sub-regional coordination workshop); ii)
surveillance and detection (USD 132,000; AI specimen testing costs
and field surveillance training course); iii) response and
containment (in-kind; 100 PPE kits and other outbreak investigation
commodities); and iv) communications (USD 23,000; information
posters in newspapers for farmers, distribution of AI education
kits, facilitating a Voice of America journalist workshop). USAID
regional funding for avian influenza programming in the SADC region
totals $3million for 2007-2009.

Other Interventions
--------------


9. ILRI's Dr. Christine Jost discussed "risk-targeted active
surveillance as an essential component of veterinary services in
Southern Africa." She praised the usefulness of risk mapping as a
tool for targeting HPAI surveillance. She said ILRI wants to
increase regional cooperation, and, like the FAO, is focusing on
Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Zambian National
Coordinator related his country's experience in undertaking a
USAID-funded desk-top exercise and the lessons learned from it.
Other interventions included: a) Strategies to improve HPAI
communication at national and regional levels; b) HPAI outbreak
management and control alternatives in poultry populations; c) From
HPAI preparedness to outbreak management: Experience from Ghana; d)
HPAI outbreak management and control in Egypt: the lessons learned;
e) HPAI emergency response and communication; f) AI Surveillance of
wild birds in Sothern Africa; and g) HPAI Diagnostic Capacity,
Networks, Procedures and Gaps.

Next Steps
--------------


10. Closing recommendations to the workshop included a call from all
SADC member states for continued and enhanced coordination between
AU-IBAR's SPINAP initiative and existing programming support,
technical assistance and, or funding from, inter alia, USAID, the
World Bank, CDC, and the USDA. Participants also recommended that
AU-IBAR enhance its linkages with the public health capacities
already established within the African Union itself, the WHO, CDC,
and others. A final recommendation called for countries to expedite
the signing of memoranda of understanding between AU IBAR and SADC
countries so that funding could be released as soon as possible to
allow project activities can to begin.

Comment
--------------


11. Given the clear and present danger of other diseases that are
ravaging sub-Saharan Africa, the distant threat of an AI outbreak
and possible devastating pandemic has bred paralyzing complacency in
many countries. So it is extremely encouraging to see not only the
AU and SADC beating the drums of AI pandemic preparedness so loudly,
but more importantly, to witness SADC countries slowly begin to heed
the warnings and answering the call to action. Progress is slow but
encouraging. All SADC countries, except South Africa, are expected
to receive one-time funding in the range of USD 200-400,000; and
most of these nations should have funds released to them by December

2008. This financial stimulus ought to quicken the pace of AI
preparedness activities.


Nolan