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Cablegate: Indonesia - August 10 Avian Influenza Update

VZCZCXRO6943
RR RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #2182/01 2220914
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 100914Z AUG 07
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5738
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA
INFO RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI//J07/CATMED/CAT//
RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 8072
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 0988
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1015
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 7594

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 002182

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP/MTS, G/AIAG AND OES
USAID FOR ANE/CLEMENTS AND GH/CARROLL
DEPT ALSO PASS TO HHS/WSTEIGER/MSTLOUIS AND HHS/NIH
GENEVA FOR WHO/HOHMAN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: TBIO AMED CASC EAGR AMGT PGOV ID
SUBJECT: INDONESIA - AUGUST 10 AVIAN INFLUENZA UPDATE

REF: A) Jakarta 1492 B) Jakarta 1331 and previous

1. (SBU) Summary. An Avian Influenza Action Group (AIAG) funded
Avian Influenza (AI) documentary aired on Indonesian television on
July 14. The CDC acquired draft quarterly reports from NIHRD
covering the past three fiscal quarters. A new CDC senior medical
epidemiologist arrived at post on August 1. The Indonesian National
Committee for Avian Influenza Control and Pandemic Influenza
Preparedness (KOMNAS) hosted a meeting on August 6-7 to develop a
new national pandemic preparedness plan. The KOMNAS is planning a
high-level meeting on September 11-13 to map GOI and donor funds and
programs for AI control in Indonesia. The Department of Defense
(DOD) conducted training on influenza rapid response and pandemic
preparedness for the Indonesian military on July 16. The Indonesian
Ministry of Health (MOH) reports that it would like to conduct a
field containment exercise in September. The MOH has reported two
new H5N1 infections with one fatality since last reftel. End
Summary.

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AI DOCUMENTARY AIRS ON METRO TV
--------------------------------
2.(U) An AIAG-funded documentary aired on Indonesia's only all news
channel, Metro TV, on July 14. The documentary, coordinated by PAS
Jakarta, reported on best practices to combat AI in Singapore,
Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia. The purpose of the program was to
promote public awareness of the dangers of AI and to share best
practices from other affected countries. Metro TV plans to air the
documentary again on August 11 and estimates that about 700,000
viewers will watch.

NEW CDC STAFF MEMBER ARRIVES AT POST
-------------------------------------
3. (U) Dr. Frank Mahoney, a new senior medical epidemiologist from
CDC, arrived at post on August 1. Dr. Mahoney will work with Dr.
Thomas and the Director of the Indonesian CDC.

CDC MEETS WITH NIHRD STAFF
--------------------------
4. (SBU) Dr. Mike Thomas of the CDC met with officials from NIHRD to
help write their CDC grant renewal proposal. During the meeting,
CDC acquired draft quarterly reports from NIHRD covering the past
three fiscal quarters. This marks the first time CDC has received
an update from NIHRD this fiscal year.

GOI AND PARTNERS DEVELOP PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS PLAN
--------------------------------------------- -------
5. (SBU) USAID's Community Based Avian Influenza Control (CBAIC)
Program sponsored a GOI-hosted meeting in Bogor on August 6-7 to
develop a new national pandemic preparedness plan for a global
influenza pandemic. The meeting covered issues such as surveillance
and detection, isolation and quarantine, public health and
treatment, business and critical-infrastructure continuity, and
national recovery and rehabilitation. KOMNAS estimates the rollout
of the new pandemic preparedness plan to be in early 2008, with a
detailed outline completed in time for the September 11-13 funding
meeting (see paragraph 5). The plan will build on the 2005
Indonesian National Strategic Plan for Avian Influenza Control and
Pandemic Influenza Preparedness, as well as strategies developed by
government ministries, the police and military. Meeting
participants included several GOI ministries, the military, the
police, local government officials, private sector representatives,
and international representatives, including WHO, USAID, USDA, US
CDC, AusAID, and ASEAN.

KOMNAS PLANS MEETING TO MAP AI FUNDING
---------------------------------------
6. (SBU) KOMNAS is planning a high-level meeting to map GOI and
donor funds and programs for AI control in Indonesia and to
influence the GOI's 2008 budget process. KOMNAS has tentatively
scheduled the meeting for September 11-13, 2007. The meeting will
take stock of where Indonesia is one year after a similar meeting
that David Nabarro of the UN attended.

7. (SBU) The 2006 meeting was the first effort to map GOI and donor
resources and to reevaluate the GOI National Strategy. The 2006
meeting resulted in the GOI prioritizing three components of their

JAKARTA 00002182 002 OF 002


national strategy: 1) behavior change communications and risk
communications, 2) integrated animal and human surveillance, and 3)
control of AI in animals. Results of the 2006 mapping exercise
revealed a mismatch between GOI strategic priorities with both GOI
and donor resource commitments, with roughly 70 percent of funds
directed toward human health and the MOH while the strategic
priority is control in animals.

8. (SBU) The intent of the 2007 meeting is to help influence GOI
budget decisions through a reexamination of funding distribution and
progress made to-date in filling key gaps identified in 2006.
KOMNAS is fully engaging GOI ministries and donors in planning for
this meeting. On July 18, KOMNAS hosted a donor planning meeting
attend by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Health
Organization (WHO), World Bank, USAID, Government of Japan, the
German Society for Technical Cooperation (GTZ), UN Development
Program (UNDP), and the Community Based Avian Influenza (CBAIC)
project (USAID contract). KOMNAS has already begun collecting
budget and program detail from donors and GOI ministries and will
intensify this effort during the next few weeks.

DOD DELIVERS TRAINING TO INDONESIAN MILITARY
---------------------------------------------
9. (U) On July 16, the Department of Defense (DOD) conducted
training on influenza rapid response and pandemic preparedness.
Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) sponsored the session. Over 40 students
from the Indonesian Armed Forces attended. The MOH facilitated the
session, and the UN and WHO participated.

MOH PLANS FIELD CONTAINMENT EXERCISE
-------------------------------------
10. (SBU) During the DOD training, MOH officials indicated that the
MOH has invited the Indonesian military to assist with developing
their Emergency Response Plan in conjunction with the Indonesian
Disaster Management Group. MOH contacts also stated that they would
like to conduct a field containment exercise near Jakarta in early
September. The MOH is pushing to conduct the exercise this fiscal
year. The MOH has asked for samples of other field containment
exercises to use as a template.

AI HUMAN CASE REPORTS
-----------------------

11. (SBU) The MOH reported two new human AI infections since last
reftel. A 3-year-old girl from Riau Province developed symptoms on
June 18. She has since recovered. Investigations indicate that the
cause of her infection was exposure to sick and dead poultry. A
six-year-old girl from Banten Province died on July 8. Verification
of the infections has not been determined at either NAMRU-2 or a
laboratory outside of NIHRD. As of August 10, the MOH reports 102
human cases and 81 fatalities.

HUME

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