Cablegate: Burma: Ai Update - August 30, 2006
VZCZCXRO0003
OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHGO #1249/01 2430804
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 310804Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY RANGOON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5039
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 1095
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 9864
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 4307
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 3499
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 6962
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 4579
RUEHVI/AMEMBASSY VIENNA 0046
RUEHCI/AMCONSUL CALCUTTA 0884
RUEHCN/AMCONSUL CHENGDU 0887
RUDKIA/AMCONSUL CHIANG MAI 0598
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHDC
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHINGTON DC
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 RANGOON 001249
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EAP/MLS; PACOM FOR FPA; UDSA FOR FAS/PECAD,
FAS/CNMP, FAS/AAD, APHIS; BANGKOK FOR USAID (JOHN
MACARTHUR), APHIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAGR EAID AMED PGOV PREL CASC TBIO KFLU BM
SUBJECT: BURMA: AI UPDATE - AUGUST 30, 2006
REF: A. STATE 111495
B. RANGOON 623
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1. (SBU) Summary: Burma has reported no new cases of Avian
Influenza (AI) since a February/March 2006 poultry outbreak,
which was contained in April. Donors, including USAID,
support targeted WHO and FAO activities to improve local
capacity to address AI. Although the GOB continues to
cooperate with international donors, inadequate coordination
within the GOB and in villages and townships has raised
doubts that programs can be implemented properly in rural
areas. End summary.
Current Situation: No New Cases
-------------------------------
2. (U) The GOB has not reported any evidence of Avian
Influenza in humans or animals in Burma for the past four
months. On August 16, Livestock Breeding and Veterinary
Department (LBVD) officials confirmed to us that their last
recorded case of animal AI appeared in Burma on April 8. In
late April, LBVD began to carry out regular serosurveillance
of poultry in the thirteen townships affected by the
February-March AI outbreak, as well as at Rangoon markets.
All of the 13,000 blood specimens collected were tested at
veterinary labs in Rangoon and Mandalay and were negative for
H5N1.
3. (SBU) On August 18, an LBVD contact told us in confidence
that three child deaths in the town of Tharyawaddy, Bago
Division, that were attributed to dengue fever were actually
due to AI. Emboff followed up on August 21 with Dr. Cho Cho
Su, veterinary officer for LBVD, who traveled to the area to
investigate the deaths. She, however, confirmed that all
three were caused by dengue fever. WHO's coordinator for AI
in Burma, Dr. Jum Coninx, told us that she also tried to
investigate the Bago deaths and had not found any evidence
that the cases were related to AI. Coninx observed that
local town authorities also called in Ministry of Health
(MOH) personnel to investigate, so it did not appear that
there were any efforts to cover up an outbreak. Since
poultry deaths in the same town were attributed to Newcastle
disease, Coninx encouraged GOB authorities to use further
tests to confirm this, and WHO continues to follow the
situation closely.
4. (SBU) Coninx reported to us on August 22 that the GOB has
now established Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) in every one of
the country's 130 administrative districts, and that the
Rangoon medical lab can now diagnose H5N1 in humans. WHO
closely monitors how all assistance is being used, she said.
MOH and LBVD continue efforts to improve coordination. Both
share information freely with international donors. Donor
funding will address many of the shortcomings in the GOB's
ability to respond effectively to an outbreak, particularly
in upgrading surveillance capability and improving weak lab
and hospital treatment capabilities. Although WHO continues
to encourage the GOB to convene a coordinating body of all
stakeholders, including government representatives, UN
representatives, and bilateral donors, the GOB has yet to do
so. Coninx said that future WHO funding will be used to
support a coordination subcommittee to formalize meetings and
enhance such cooperation.
Training
--------
5. (U) Ministry of Health epidemiologists Dr. Win Htin and
Dr. Theingi Nyunt attended the US-sponsored APEC Seminar on
AI and the Australia/Singapore-sponsored Pandemic Response
RANGOON 00001249 002.2 OF 003
Exercise Workshop on August 14-17 in Singapore (ref A). The
Australian government funded their travel.
6. (U) Dr. Kyi Mar Aung, Assistant Director at LBVD, attended
the July 2006 U.S. Department of Agriculture's diagnostic
training course in Ames, Iowa. Kyi Mar Aung told APHIS
Regional AI Coordinator Ned Cardenas during his most recent
visit to Burma that that the workshop was valuable but too
short. She conducted a training session with her colleagues
upon her return to share information gained in Ames, and she
has requested follow-up training in Burma. Dr. Cardenas
encouraged her to identify specific areas for follow-on
training. Dr. Cardenas also enlisted support from the FAO
to run an LBVD epidemiology course and awareness raising
campaign directed at poultry farmers.
Donor Funds Flowing
-------------------
7. (U) Human Health: WHO's Coninx said donor support has
allowed included upgrades at two hospitals, funded by the
Japanese Grassroots Fund, and a pandemic preparedness
tabletop exercise planned for September. Part of the $1
million in Asian Development Bank (ADB) funds committed to
fight AI in May (ref B) will be used to upgrade the isolation
rooms at designated hospitals and to support the rapid
response teams, she said.
8. (U) Coninx described WHO's current activities supported by
$110,000 in USAID funding: a lab mission from the Thai
National Institute of Health/National Influenza Center to
provide training to local lab personnel in Burma in August
and in Thailand in September. USAID funds to WHO allowed
LBVD and Ministry of Health participation in a July AI
workshop in Rangoon, and at a train-the-trainer workshop for
GOB Rapid Response Teams (RRT) in Bangkok the same month.
WHO will adapt the RRT training modules and use USG and ADB
funds to provide RRT training countrywide in October. WHO
will also bring an epidemiologist from Bangkok in September
to work on an early warning system with the Central
Epidemiology Unit. WHO and Ministry of Health officials
expressed their gratitude for USG support.
9. (U) Additionally, WHO is preparing to accept delivery of
half of the 4,500 Personal Protective Equipment sets (PPEs)
supplied by USAID, with control of the other half to be
managed by FAO. According to Coninx, storage and
accountability for the PPEs will be among the issues
discussed at a WHO-sponsored workshop in late September. We
will store the PPEs in our Embassy warehouse until WHO and
FAO storage arrangements are finalized. A contracted
specialist will lead the workshop on the logistics of
stockpiling supplies, as well as advising the GOB, WHO, and
FAO on pandemic containment planning.
10. (U) Cardenas outlined APHIS's proposed campaign to raise
awareness among small poultry farmers. Coninx noted that the
bulk of work at the grassroots level must be done by local
and international NGOs. So far, she said, only CARE has
begun AI work in the villages, so getting funds and GOB
approval for additional NGO projects is an important next
step.
11. (U) Animal Health: LBVD Deputy Director Dr. Ohn Kyaw
recently provided emboffs an updated list of international
donors and projects addressing AI in animals. The Japanese
International Cooperation Agency (JICA) donated approx.
$50,000 for immediate response assistance, and China has
offered one million yuan (about $129,000) for PPEs, vehicles,
RANGOON 00001249 003.2 OF 003
and lab equipment. The Japanese Grassroots Fund will provide
$168,000 to upgrade five veterinary labs. Dr. Ohn Kyaw
expressed LBVD's appreciation for the support FAO has
received from the US government.
12. (SBU) Describing larger-scale international funding, FAO
Representative Tang Zhengping told Cardenas that the Japanese
Trust Fund will sign an agreement to provide UNICEF, FAO and
OIE with approximately $3 million from a regional $10 million
program to support public awareness and epidemiology capacity
building. Australia (AusAID) agreed in June to provide Aus$1
million (about US$770,000), which FAO and WHO will split.
FAO will use the funds to recruit a national consultant,
assistant, and clerk, and to procure equipment and vehicles
for LBVD and FAO. The Thai government continues to supply
Human Resources support, and the World Bank may provide $1
million from the new AI Prevention Facility, according to
Tang.
13. (SBU) Comment: The GOB has displayed uncharacteristic
cooperativeness and openness on working with foreign donors
on AI issues. Our contribution has opened the door for other
donors to step in with valuable contributions and WHO
continues to play the lead role in coordinating donor
contributions and government responses. However,
coordination among ministries and between the national
government and local leaders, also not the norm here, needs
to improve to diminish doubts about the ability of
lower-level officials and technicians to implement programs.
In addition to upgrading national facilities and training
personnel, donors should continue to urge the regime to
upgrade the monitoring of poultry flocks and allow NGOs to
play an enhanced role in public awareness and training. End
comment.
VILLAROSA