Cablegate: Nigeria Avian Flu: Animal Surveillance Launched

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P 261024Z SEP 06
FM AMEMBASSY ABUJA
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INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE
RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
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RHFMISS/CDR USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
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RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC//USDP/ASD-HD//
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 002535

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

USDA FAS WASHDC FOR FAA/RANDY HAGER
USDA FOR APHIS/JOHN SHAW
USDA FOR WAYNE MOLSTAD/OSEC
USAID/W FOR AFR/WA ANGELA LOZANO

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: TBIO KFLU AMED EAGR EAID NI AVIANFLU
SUBJECT: NIGERIA AVIAN FLU: ANIMAL SURVEILLANCE LAUNCHED

REF: ABUJA 2238

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1. (SBU) Summary. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization and the
Ministry of Agriculture launched on Sept. 21 their European
Union/USG-funded program for active animal surveillance of the avian
influenza (AI) in Nigeria. Preparations will consist of six to
eight weeks of training, followed by surveillance to cover all 36
states and the Federal Capital Territory. Lagos State now requires
all poultry farms, regardless of size, to be registered. The state
had suffered AI outbreaks on five more farms since early August. A
Lagos veterinarian estimated that only 25% of the state's cases of
AI were reported. A figure in the poultry sector said AI had killed
50% of the birds on the state's large poultry farms, although this
estimate may be high. An Ogun State official said he personally
carried out the necessary investigations "which failed to confirm"
that President Obasanjo's poultry farm had been infected with AI.
End summary.

2.(U) After considerable delay, the UN Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO), in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture
(MOA), launched in Abuja on Sept. 21 the European Union/USG-funded
MOA-FAO program for active animal surveillance of the avian
influenza (AI). Preparations will consist of six to eight weeks of
training, followed by actual surveillance covering all 36 states and
the Federal Capital Territory, whether or not they are currently
infected with AI.

3. (SBU) The Government of Nigeria (GON) announced on Sept. 20 that
meetings of the GON AI Technical Group (working-level officials) and
the AI Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee (senior-level officials)
are "postponed until further notice." According to the GON, this is
to enable the agriculture sector to prepare adequately for the
launch of the surveillance program and to ensure the full
participation of all relevant parties. (Comment: These canceled
meetings demonstrate that the Ministry of Agriculture's AI expertise
is not deep enough both to launch AI animal surveillance and to hold
these much-needed coordination and information meetings. End
comment.)

4. (SBU) At the Sept. 13 meeting of the AI donors group at the
United Nations Abuja, the FAO AI Task Force team leader discussed
his visit two weeks ago to Lagos and Ogun States, which have
suffered outbreaks of AI. The Lagos State director of veterinary
services (DVS) said the state now required all poultry farms,
regardless of size, to be registered, otherwise, the state would
close them. Lagos State had divided itself into six zones, to
better report on AI's presence and if necessary to better control
its spread.

5. (SBU) The Lagos DVS said the state had suffered AI outbreaks on
at least five more farms since early August. The major constraint
in reacting effectively was a shortage of funds, which resulted in
very little conclusive information being collected or forwarded.
Indications were there were even more outbreaks of AI that were not
reported; a Lagos veterinarian estimated that only 25% of the
state's cases of AI were reported. A figure in the poultry sector
told the FAO official that AI had killed 50% of the birds on Lagos
State's large poultry farms. (Comment: Poultry and poultry-product
prices in southwestern Nigeria have not risen appreciably recently
and do not appear to reflect, at least currently, such an extent of
deaths from AI. End comment.) The FAO official observed at Lagos's
Onipami live poultry market persons smoking probable sick or dying
birds to preserve them for later sale.

6. (SBU) The Ogun DVS said the state had suffered no new outbreaks
of AI since the last one in August in the Ijebu-Ode Local Government
Area. The DVS said he personally carried out the necessary
investigations "which failed to confirm" that President Obasanjo's
farm had been infected with AI and that reportedly had killed much
of the farm's poultry. The farm previously had moved birds to
another location and had sold some of its "spent" egg layers, which
the DVS said may have led to rumors about AI-related bird deaths on
the farm.

7. (SBU) The FAO official said many poultry farmers who were owed
compensation for their birds believed that foreign donors had made

ABUJA 00002535 002.2 OF 002

available to the GON money to pay compensation which GON officials
had "pocketed." The GON had made no substantial progress on paying
compensation. A World Bank official said delays on the part of the
GON continued to delay the distribution of funds from the Bank to
combat AI. The Bank will release $10 million to address the issue
of compensation. Although the Bank approved in March AI funding for
Nigeria, the Ministry of Health had not yet opened the dedicated
bank account required for the Bank to release the money. The GON
currently was drawing on only a small amount of World Bank funding.

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