Cablegate: Indonesia - October 3 Avian Influenza Update
VZCZCXRO5122
RR RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #2796/01 2760810
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 030810Z OCT 07
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6557
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 8171
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 1310
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1047
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 7647
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 002796
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR EAP/MTS, G/AIAG AND OES
USAID FOR ANE/CLEMENTS AND GH/CARROLL
DEPT ALSO PASS TO HHS/WSTEIGER/MABDOO/MSTLOUIS AND HHS/NIH
GENEVA FOR WHO/HOHMAN
USDA/FAS/OSTA BRANT, ROSENBLUM
USDA/APHIS ANNELLI
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: TBIO AMED CASC EAGR AMGT PGOV ID
SUBJECT: INDONESIA - OCTOBER 3 AVIAN INFLUENZA UPDATE
REF: A) Jakarta 02734 B) Jakarta 02560
1. (SBU) Summary. In its October 2007, GlobeAsia (a respected
Indonesian business magazine) ranked Minister of Health Fadilah
Supari as number 16 of the top 99 Most Powerful Women in Indonesia.
On October 1, the National Institute of Health Research and
Development (NIHRD) confirmed H5N1 in a deceased patient, raising
total Indonesian cases to 107 with 86 deaths. On September 17, the
Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) along with USAID and other
stakeholders agreed to implement an immediate action plan to reduce
enzootic H5N1 in poultry. The Health Ministry (MOH) plans to
conduct a field simulation exercise for rapid containment of
human-to-human transmission of avian influenza in March 2008.
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SUPARI MAKES INDONESIA'S MOST POWERFUL WOMEN LIST
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2. (U) In its October 2007 issue, GlobeAsia (a monthly Indonesian
business magazine) ranked Minister of Health Supari as number 16 of
99 Most Powerful Women. The magazine notes that Supari is "one of
four women serving in the cabinet of President SBY. As Minister of
Health in a nation with more than 225 million people, Siti Fadilah
has one of the toughest jobs in the country. But her quiet strength
and dedication has seen her overcoming a series of health scares
although she has still to fully overcome the bird flu problem."
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NAMRU'S SURVEILLANCE NETWORK PICKS UP LATEST CASE
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3. (SBU) NAMRU-2 identified Indonesia's latest H5N1 case through
routine testing of samples from its flu surveillance network. The
sample was from a 21 year old West Jakarta man, who died on
September 28. NAMRU-2 shared the sample with NIHRD, which confirmed
H5N1 virus on October 1. As of October 1, GOI confirms 107
Indonesian human cases with 86 deaths.
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IMMEDIATE FOCUS ON REDUCING VIRUS IN POULTRY
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3. (SBU) On September 17, USAID and the MOA held a key partners
meeting to advance a detailed implementation plan for immediate AI
control in animals. Agencies represented at the meeting included the
National Committee for AI Control and Influenza Pandemic
Preparedness KOMNAS FBPI), USDA, Food and Agriculture Organization,
World Bank, AusAID, Government of Japan, International Livestock
Research Institute (ILRI), and Development Alternatives Incorporated
(a USAID contractor).
4. The plan's initial objective is to evaluate poultry vaccine
efficacy. Research findings reported earlier this year indicated
that none of the currently approved vaccines provided significant
protection from mortality when challenged with a virus recently
isolated from a flock in West Java. The partners agreed to a plan
to simultaneously evaluate the efficacy of existing poultry vaccine
and develop a new vaccine(s) against the currently circulating
poultry virus. Mass vaccination using the identified vaccine will
take place in West Java Province with its high concentrations of
both commercial and backyard poultry. Researchers will evaluate and
compare the effectiveness of mass vaccination and other control
strategies in an operational research project under the direction of
(ILRI). The project will involve several field studies.
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PANDEMIC INFLUENZA SIMULATION EXERCISE
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5. (U) The Minister of Health Siti Fadilah Supari approved that MOH
will lead a field simulation exercise for the rapid containment of a
pandemic influenza virus in Bali in March 2008. Other participants
will include the Indonesian police and military, quarantine and
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disaster management agencies, and KOMNAS. As a prelude to the March
field simulation, the MOH is also planning for a tabletop exercise
in Bali to occur in late October or November.
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UPCOMING AI EVENTS
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6. (SBU) Embassy Jakarta reports the following current and upcoming
AI events:
-- Dr. Endang Sedyaningsih Mamahit, Senior NIHRD Researcher, is
currently participating in meetings in Geneva.
--KOMNAS will hold a donor mapping meeting in Jakarta in late
October - specific date TBD.
--In support of the Tangerang trilateral project, KOMNAS, USDA and
the Tangerang Secretariat will sponsor a Geographic Information
System and Global Positioning System (GIS/GPS) training course from
October 22-31, 2007.
--Widjaja Lukito, Advisor to the Minister on Health Public Policy,
will participate in the Chatham House Meeting in London scheduled on
17-18 October, 2007.
HEFFERN