Cablegate: Cairo Avian Influenza Working Group (Aiwg) Update

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS CAIRO 008533

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: TBIO ECON PREL SOCI EG WHO KSTH
SUBJECT: CAIRO AVIAN INFLUENZA WORKING GROUP (AIWG) UPDATE

REF: A. STATE 153802

B. STATE 181885
C. STATE 183776
D. CAIRO 07552
E. CAIRO 08073

Sensitive but unclassified. Please handle accordingly.

1. (U) Summary: Cairo's Avian Influenza Working Group
(AIWG) met on October 26 to review post and interagency
preparedness and collaborative efforts with the GOE, and to
discuss recent meetings with the Ministry of Health (MOH),
the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), the Ministrsy of Foreign
Affairs, and the G-8. Egypt's domestic avian influenza (AI)
surveillance needs assistance, but is improving. The private
sector is collaborating with the GOE on domestic surveillance
and biosecurity efforts. USDA's Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service (APHIS), USAID and Cairo's Naval Medical
Research Unit (NAMRU-3) are actively working to provide
needed assistance. End summary.

2. (SBU) Agricultural Counselor and a representative from
APHIS met October 25 with Ministry of Agriculture (MOA)
representatives Dr. Fekry El Keraby, Under Secretary for
Animal Production, and Dr. Mona Aly, head of the National
Animal Health Institute, to discuss domestic surveillance.
The MOA reported that it will work with NAMRU on training and
quality control. MOA labs are high quality but lack
redundancy for some equipment. They are currently sampling
primarily food products being imported or exported. Domestic
surveillance of poultry remains limited, with only one farm
per week being surveyed. The Ministry is seeking to increase
this figure, and has begun to sample live bird markets.
APHIS is arranging to send two members of the MOA staff for
diagnostics training in the U.S., and has identified training
needs in biosecurity, sampling, and outbreak response
strategies. We assess Egypt's domestic animal surveillance
programs as inadequate, due to the lack of sampling capacity.
USAID will meet with MOA and MOH to discuss these problems.

3. (SBU) APHIS representatives also discussed preparedness
of the poultry industry in an October 19 meeting with Prof.
A. Sami, President of the Egyptian Poultry Scientific
Society, and warned that lack of biosecurity and biosecurity
awareness, and intermingling of migratory birds with domestic
flocks threaten the poultry industry. There is no GOE
compensation plan at present to encourage producers to inform
the authorities of any suspected occurrence of AI. The
Poultry Association will work with the GOE's Veterinary
Services to set out a contingency plan for AI, and will hold
a seminar on Avian Influenza in November.

4. (SBU) USAID has had discussions with the Ministry of
Health (MOH) regarding Rapid Response Teams and is
considering a locally based training program. USAID has
funding to sponsor training for small numbers of people in
the US, and will fund Egyptian participation in an APHIS
course on surveillance. USAID has been actively developing an
assistance strategy for Egypt, and is engaged in numerous
meetings with NAMRU, FAS, and APHIS to support identified
needs, e.g., response teams, and vaccines for poultry.

5. (SBU) In a meeting with representatives from G-8
embassies on October 24, ECPO Minister Counselor discussed
the results of the International Partnership on Avian and
Pandemic Influenza (IPAPI), US progress on AI surveillance
and other cooperative efforts with the GOE, contingency plans
for an AI outbreak, educational programs for the expat
community, and information about development and availability
of treatment and vaccines. ECPO Minister Counselor also
requested that G-8 representatives engage all ministries at
high levels to encourage GOE transparency and domestic
surveillance by the MOA. ECPO Minister Counselor suggested
that the G-8 coordinate before providing assistance to Egypt.
The EU representative said Europe was considering providing
training and other expertise based on the European
encounters with AI. ECPO Counselor, with colleagues from
NAMRU-3, USAID, and FAS, briefed Ministry of Foreign Affairs
scientific staff on November 1.

6. (SBU) Post will continue to engage the GOE on the dangers
that AI poses to both human health and agriculture. Egyptian
officials are deeply concerned and feel pressure to show
public action. This has resulted in the unjustified
prohibition on import of all poultry goods into Egypt. This
order currently affects a large shipment of feather meal from
the United States, which has been embargoed by customs.
Ambassador will address the GOE's import restrictions with
the Ministries of Agriculture and Trade, respectively, this
week.

RICCIARDONE

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