NEW AVIAN INFLUENZA OUTBREAK CONFIRMED IN WEST BENGAL

UNCLAS KOLKATA 000028 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 BD SUBJECT: NEW AVIAN INFLUENZA OUTBREAK CONFIRMED IN WEST BENGAL REF: A. A) KOLKATA 3 ¶B. B) 08 KOLKATA 26 ¶1. (U) On January 30, the Indian Ministry of Agriculture confirmed the presence of the H5N1 virus in West Bengal's Coochbehar district. The two avian influenza (AI) epicenters are in the villages of Nagar Bhagni and Uttar Dangkoba, in two non-contiguous administrative blocks of the district. The epicenters are approximately 200 km east of Darjeeling, the site of the latest outbreak in West Bengal (Ref A),and 15 kilometers from the informal India-Bangladesh border crossing point at Gitaldaha. The last reported AI epicenter in Coochbehar was in January 2008 in the same district but at a different location (Ref B). There are no reports of human infection. ¶2. (SBU) According to the district magistrate, Rajesh Kumar Sinha, culling began in Coochbehar on February 1. Over the course of three days, thirty Rapid Reaction Teams composed of five persons each, planned to cull 45,000 chickens and ducks from backyard poultry operations. In addition to culling poultry within the three kilometer epicenter radius, Sinha told post that the local administration has restricted poultry trade to and from Bangladesh into the district. He is satisfied with the Indian Border Security Force stepped up efforts to prevent birds from being transported across the borders. Although there is no legitimate cross-border traffic through Gitaldaha, illegal poultry and cattle trade is widely acknowledged. ¶3. (SBU) According to West Bengal's Principal Secretary of the Animal Resources Development Department the Coochbehar AI outbreak is an isolated incident and not linked to any of the other recent outbreaks in Eastern India (West Bengal, Assam and Sikkim) that have occurred since November 2008. The West Bengal State Minister for Animal Resources Development, in a string of media interviews, has also emphasized the reduced scale and spread compared with earlier in 2008. Comment ¶4. (SBU) Like the previous outbreaks in late 2008 and early 2009, it appears that this outbreak will be easily contained by West Bengal state officials. The West Bengal state officials have continued to be forthcoming with information to post about AI outbreaks and recently expressed interested in opportunities to leverage USG assistance to increase public awareness about avian influenza. PAYNE