US embassy cable - 05YEREVAN1856

UNCLAS YEREVAN 001856 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TBIO, KSCA, ECON, PREL, SOCI, AM, EARG, WHO 
SUBJECT: UNCONFIRMED REPORT OF MASS BIRD DEATHS IN ARMENIA 
 
REF: A) YEREVAN 1562 B) YEREVAN 1641 C) YEREVAN 1730 
 
Sensitive but unclassified.  Please protect accordingly. 
 
1. (SBU) In a recent news article, Ornithologist Martin 
Adamyan reported that mass bird deaths had been observed in 
the Lake Sevan and Arpi regions of Armenia.  He speculated 
that bird migration patterns made it particularly likely that 
avian flu will be found in Armenia in the near future. 
Deputy Minister of Agriculture Levon Ruhkhian told us last 
week that GOAM inspectors have found no evidence of mass bird 
deaths in Armenia (septel) and, on October 18, described the 
allegations made by Adamyan as "categorically false." 
 
2. (SBU) We have met with the GOAM a number of times on this 
issue, most recently with the Minster of Health on September 
27 (ref C) and with the Deputy Minister of Agriculture on 
October 13 (septel).  We received a copy of the GOAM National 
Preparedness Plan to respond to any potential outbreak of 
avian flu on October 18.  The document is focused on the 
public health response to a possible human outbreak and does 
not sufficiently address the possibility of an outbreak among 
either wild bird populations or domesticated poultry.  USAID 
and USDA are in contact with their respective headquarters to 
learn what resources may be available to support the GOAM 
preparedness effort.  USAID is also considering how to 
integrate avian flu prevention into its current programming. 
In the coming days, we plan to meet with the Ministries of 
Health and Agriculture to stress the urgency of the situation 
and encourage them to share information with each other, the 
World Health Organization, and other relevant parties. 
 
3. (SBU) Comment:  While we find that Adamyan's 
unsubstantiated assertion lacks credibility, we believe that 
it could serve as a wake-up call for the GOAM.  With 
confirmed H5N1 findings in the region, Armenia needs an 
effective plan to confront this problem. 
EVANS