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Viewing cable 05WARSAW3632, POLAND RESPONDS TO AVIAN FLU OUTBREAKS

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
05WARSAW3632 2005-10-19 12:21 2011-08-24 00:00 UNCLASSIFIED Embassy Warsaw
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 WARSAW 003632 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/NCE DKOSTELANCIK AND MSESSUMS, DEPT FOR G, 
OES/IHA; DEPT OF AGRICULTURE FOR FAS/OA, FAS/DLP, FAS/ITP, 
APHIS JMITCHELL, JANNELLE, USEU FOR PFERNANDEZ 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TBIO ECON PREL PL KSTH WHO
SUBJECT: POLAND RESPONDS TO AVIAN FLU OUTBREAKS 
 
REF: A. WARSAW 03212 
 
     B. WARSAW 03364 
 
1.  Summary.  In response to the confirmed outbreak of H5N1 
avian influenza in Romania and Turkey, the GOP has taken 
several steps to prepare for a potential outbreak on Polish 
soil.  An emergency anti-epidemic committee has been formed 
that cuts across key ministries and agencies, including 
Health, Interior, and the Chief Veterinary Inspectorate.  The 
committee meets weekly.  The GOP has scheduled emergency 
preparedness drills for the end of October.  Regulations 
issued on October 17 require all domestic birds be moved 
inside enclosed areas and prohibit sales of live fowl. 
Embassy Warsaw is working with the Chief Veterinary 
Inspectorate (CVI) to organize training by USDA experts in 
emergency response management and communications during 
animal disease outbreaks. End Summary. 
 
2.  An outbreak of Avian Influenza (AI) in Poland could 
devastate the Polish poultry industry with annual exports 
valued at almost 30 million Euros.  There are approximately 
900,000 farms that raise birds in Poland, the majority of 
which are small farms that raise a few chickens, ducks or 
turkeys for subsistence consumption.  An AI outbreak would 
likely ravage this large segment of Polish rural society and 
the central government would be called upon to provide 
compensation to farmers. 
 
3.  Based on information from the recent outbreaks in Romania 
and Turkey, the CVI has heightened surveillance in bird 
migration areas (e.g., the northern lakes region of Poland) 
but not around farms.  According to Poland's Chief Veterinary 
Officer, winter migration of birds will peak in the coming 
weeks and the threat of an AI outbreak this fall will 
disappear by the end of November, assuming cold weather 
arrives.  A warm fall would extend the migration window.  He 
added that heightened surveillance (which taxes the resources 
of his office) would resume in mid-March, about the time 
returning birds would be expected to reach Poland.  He opined 
that an AI outbreak in southern wintering areas would almost 
guarantee an outbreak in Poland next spring, as birds 
returned to summer nesting areas. 
 
4.  In response to the most recent AI outbreaks, on October 
17, the CVI announced that farmers must keep their flocks 
confined in enclosed (fenced) areas.  The same regulation 
prohibits the sale of live fowl.  These new regulations and 
information about AI clinical signs and basic biosecurity 
precautions to take when handling sick birds have been put on 
the CVI's website and on handbills disseminated this week to 
local (county and town) officials throughout Poland. 
Officials have been instructed to distribute them to farmers 
and post them on town and church bulletin boards. 
Enforcement will begin next week and violators face hefty 
fines and up to three years in jail.  Hunting wild fowl is 
still permitted for the time being and hunters have been 
instructed to be alert for sick birds.  If a bird appears 
sick, hunters are to shoot it and several nearby birds and 
bring them to CVI officials for testing. 
 
5.  According to the CVI, major poultry farms are taking 
precautions beyond those required to ensure the safety of 
their flocks.  The CVI has been working closely with the two 
major poultry producer associations in Poland, as well as 
smaller associations (e.g., ostrich association) to educate 
farmers about AI and inform them of the new restrictions. 
 
6.  In addition to ramping up surveillance and restricting 
farm bird movement, the CVI has established a small emergency 
center based on ideas gleaned from a visit to the USG 
emergency center in Beltsville, MD, last winter.  The center 
is small, but has its own telephone and fax lines, email 
addresses, Internet access and soon, video conferencing 
capability.  In addition, Embassy Warsaw is working closely 
with the CVI to complete plans for training in emergency 
response management and emergency communications during 
animal disease outbreaks.  USDA experts will give the 
training, scheduled for November 14-17.  AI-specific training 
(risk assessment, epidemiology, etc.) is planned for early 
next year. 
 
Preparing for Possible Outbreaks 
-------------------------------- 
7. In meetings with Secretary of State Zbigniew Podraza, 
Ministry of Health, Econ Counselor learned that the GOP has 
marshaled PLN 300 million (approximately USD 93 million) in 
reserve funding to combat an avian influenza epidemic or 
pandemic.  PLN 100 million of this amount has been dedicated 
for purchasing other medications and disinfection equipment. 
The GOP has allocated an additional PLN 20 million for 
vaccinations against H5N1 in humans, though it is not clear 
how doses can be purchased since a vaccine has not yet been 
developed. Ministry of Health officials stressed that the GOP 
views avian influenza as more of an economic threat than a 
public health problem at this point. 
 
Comment 
------- 
8.  The GOP is clearly taking the threat of an avian 
influenza epidemic and possible pandemic seriously.  The 
threat of an outbreak has been front page news for the past 
several days.  Flu vaccinations have disappeared from 
pharmacy stocks across the country, despite the fact that the 
"flu shot" will not provide any protection against avian 
influenza.  The GOP faces a stiff challenge in disseminating 
information and enforcing the new regulation on keeping 
poultry contained and banning the sale of live birds.  The 
Polish countryside is expansive and the extent to which local 
veterinary authorities will be able to conduct adequate 
monitoring remains to be seen.  The migratory patterns of 
birds wintering to the South will most certainly mean that 
some potential carriers of H5N1 will pass through Poland next 
spring.  Though it seems unlikely, it is possible that the 
virus has already passed through Polish territory, though no 
suspected outbreaks have been detected.  On the bright side, 
most of Poland's poultry is produced by large-scale 
industrial farmers with modern facilities that are operated 
entirely indoors.  GOP officials confirm that these farmers 
are taking appropriate precautions.  End comment. 
ASHE