FIRST CONFIRMED AVIAN INFLUENZA OUTBREAK IN SIKKIM

UNCLAS KOLKATA 000018 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE PASS TO NSF FOR INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS STATE PASS TO USAID HHS PASS TO OGHA (KULIKOWSKI/CUMMINGS) STATE FOR OES/PCI, OES/IHB AND SCA/INS STATE FOR STAS AND AIAG (REED-ROWE) HHS FOR NIH/FIC (GLASS/MAMPILLY/HANDLEY) HHS FOR FDA (LUMPKIN/VALDEZ) HHS FOR CDC (BLOUNT/COX) USDA FOR APHIS (FLEMING/BURLESON) USDA FOR FAS (RIKER/BEAN) NEW DELHI FOR FAS/APHIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAGR SENV CASC PGOV AMED KFLU IN NP CH SUBJECT: FIRST CONFIRMED AVIAN INFLUENZA OUTBREAK IN SIKKIM REF: A) KOLKATA 3;B) 08 KOLKATA 145 ¶1. (U) On January 19, the Indian Ministry of Agriculture confirmed the presence of the H5N1 virus in poultry in Ravongla Municipality in South Sikkim district in the northeastern state of Sikkim. The epicenter is located approximately 40 km north of the last reported AI outbreak in India in Darjeeling, West Bengal, in January 2009 (Ref A). On January 17, the Sikkim state government had sent samples of dead poultry to Bhopal's High Security Animal Diseases Laboratory after 40 birds had died in the area. This is the first confirmed AI outbreak in the state. State officials believe they avoided an AI outbreak in early 2008 despite a significant outbreak in West Bengal (Ref B) because of effective restrictions on poultry movements with neighboring states and countries. There have been no registered cases of human infection. ¶2. (U) Nine Rapid Response Teams from the state of Sikkim's Animal Husbandry Department are currently culling poultry within a three km radius of the epicenter. According to the Sikkim State Commissioner for Animal Husbandry, state officials plan to cull 15,000 birds in backyard poultry and complete their work by January 24. The state has offered Rs 100 per full grown bird (approximately USD 2) which approximates market rates in Sikkim and is 2.5 times the previously agreed state-center compensation figures as per the February 7, 2008 circular. The Sikkim state government has funded the additional top-up compensation. According to the commissioner and substantiated by media and other reporting, villagers are cooperating with the culling teams. A federal team from the Indian Ministry of Health is assisting the state government with human health surveillance within a 10-km radius. A local government official responsible for the block (a smaller administrative unit within the district) confirmed that as a precautionary measure, the state government has set up human isolation facilities in Ravongla's Subdivisional Hospital, although there are no reports of human infection. Comment ¶3. (SBU) Sikkim is surrounded on three sides by the neighboring countries of Nepal, China (Tibet) and Bhutan and shares an internal border with the Indian state of West Bengal. During the widespread AI outbreak in early 2008 in the neighboring state of West Bengal, Sikkim had been very vigilant about the movement of poultry into and out of the state which may have contributed to the lack of an AI outbreak. However, on December 17, the state eased its one-year old inter-state ban on the import of West Bengal sourced poultry to accommodate increased demand for Christmas and the ongoing local Losar (December 28) festivities. While causality has yet to be proven, this current outbreak may be related to the poultry trade during this festival season. PAYNE