Cablegate: New Delhi Bi-Weekly Esth Report: August 2008 Third Week

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SUBJECT: NEW DELHI BI-WEEKLY ESTH REPORT: AUGUST 2008 THIRD WEEK

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REF B: STATE 61046

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1. (U) SUMMARY: This edition of the New Delhi ESTH biweekly
includes an S&T section update on the new Indo-US collaboration in
Engineering Education, exploring opportunities for US-India
collaboration in space and solar energy, India's plans to set up its
largest solar telescope and a report on increase in numbers of
international students in India's Universities. The health section
includes information about the visit of Health Attach to Pakistan
in support of Secretary Michael O. Leavitt's visit and an update on
CDC Avian Influenza (AI) Coordinator's visit to Cairo for the
Influenza Division's international cooperative agreement meeting.
The section also includes updates on preparations for the workshop
on Good Clinical Practices (GCP)/ Clinical Research Inspection,
polio and the problem of improper biomedical waste disposal in
India. Also discussed in the health section is the assessment of
National Reference Laboratories (NRL) and the visit by the US Naval
Health Research Center delegation from Hawaii for the President's
Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Department of Defense (DOD)
visioning exercise. END SUMMARY

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Indo-U.S. Collaboration in Engineering Education Moving Forward
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2. (U) Following the visit in June 2007 by the American Society of
Engineering Education (ASEE) Delegation with the objective of
reengaging with India after almost forty five years, it was decided
that the most productive approach would be to launch the Faculty
Leadership Institute (FLI). This initiative would address the most
challenging problem of engineering education in India - severe
shortage of qualified faculty. Funding has been provided by private
sector companies, Infosys in India and Jupiter Networks in the U.S.
Under this initiative, U.S. faculty from renowned institutions will
be training senior Indian faculty (mostly from tier 2 and 3
engineering schools) using latest tools of effective teaching and
learning. The Indian faculty in turn will take the lead and conduct
similar training workshops for junior faculty in their respective
regions and colleges in fundamentals and content. Wide ranging
research collaborations are expected to originate from the networks
formed between Indian and U.S. faculty.

3. (U) The first FLI workshop was held from 26 May to July 18 at
the Infosys Training Center in Mysore. About 30 U.S. faculty and
600 Indian faculty participated over the 6 week period. Indian
faculty was mostly from colleges in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil
Nadu, Maharashtra and Gujarat. SciCouns, who is a member of the
Executive Committee of FLI, was an invited speaker at the Leadership
Track.

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While Preparing for the Moon Mission 'Chandrayaan I', US and India
Exploring Future Collaborations
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4. (U) As reported earlier, India's unmanned moon mission
"Chandrayaan I" planned for launch in mid September has been
postponed. The next available launch window is expected to be after
October 15, 2008.

5. (U) During a recent visit to Indian Space Research Organization
(ISRO) in Bangalore, SciCouns met with Mr. Annadurai, Project
Director for 'Chandrayaan I' and observed the integration process of
the two US instruments on the spacecraft. Discussions were also

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held regarding possible collaboration on 'Chandrayaan II'. NASA is
considering sending an advanced RTG (Radioisotope Thermoelectric
Generator) power source (generates power from a 238 Plutonium heat
source) aboard 'Chandrayaan II'. This could be mission
enabling/enhancing for 'Chandrayaan II'. Because the advanced RTG
has moving parts, NASA is seeking a flight opportunity to qualify it
prior to its use on long duration outer planetary missions. India
has also recently joined eight nations (US, Canada, Germany, Italy,
Japan, South Korea, France and England) to develop new technologies
for exploratory robotic manned missions to the moon.

6. (U) NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Director Dr. Charles
Elachi visited ISRO on August 20 with the objective of exploring
collaborations on planetary missions. Mission will forward the
readout from this meeting.

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Exploring Opportunities for US-India Collaboration in the Area of
Solar Energy
--------------------------------------------- --------

7. (U) SciOffs had a series of meetings with the officials from
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) including the new
Secretary Mr. Deepak Gupta to discuss areas of mutual interest for
collaboration. SciOffs also had meetings with Government of India
(GOI) labs and private companies including Solar Energy Center
(SEC),Gurgaon, National Physical Laboratory (NPL), New Delhi, Moser
Baer Photo Voltaics (MBPV), Greater Noida (near New Delhi) and
Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL), Gurgaon (near New Delhi)
working on solar energy based technologies. The GOI is looking for
collaborations with the US in both R&D and commercial spheres (see
Reftel A). During the course of these meetings it was learned that
GOI is still in the process of finalizing the organizing team and
venue for the International Renewable Energy conference in 2010 to
be held in India, a follow on conference to the Washington
International Renewable Energy Conference (WIREC) 2008 (Reftel B).

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India Plans To Set Up It's Largest Solar Telescope
--------------------------------------------- ------

8. (U) The Department of Science and Technology is soon expected to
approve a proposal for the setting up of India's largest solar
telescope. The Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bangalore,
the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA),
Pune, and the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational
Sciences (ARIOS), Nainital, plan to jointly develop this solar
telescope. The high resolution two-meter class solar telescope is
to be built at a cost of USD 35 million and operational by 2013.
It is expected to be located in one of the following three places
namely Leh or Hanle in Ladakh region or in Devasthal near Nainital,
Uttaranchal.

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Indian Universities Gear up for Foreign Students
--------------------------------------------- -----
9. (U) A survey by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU)
found that Indian universities enrolled over 14,456 international
students in the year 2006-2007, a 10 percent increase from the
previous year. The top five universities were Indira Gandhi
National Open University (3000), University of Pune (2455), Manipal
University (1417), University of Delhi (1055) and Birla Institute of
Technology and Science, Pilani (912). The added incentive for
Indian Universities to admit international students is that they can

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charge a higher fee and also the intake could be increased by 15%
above the official sanctioned strength. Most of the international
students who come to India join undergraduate programs. Manipal
University is the preferred destination for many US students for
studying medicine. Many private universities seem to be taking
initiatives to have collaboration with US universities and offer
joint programs so that students could carry out one half the
programs in India and the other half in US. This helps reduce cost
for the students and at the same time help the Indian university to
not only attract international students but also raise its standards
through its collaboration with a foreign university.

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Secretary Michael O. Leavitt's visit to Pakistan
--------------------------------------------- -----
10. (U) Health Attach Dr. Altaf Lal visited Pakistan from 14-21
August in support of the visit of Department of Health and Human
Services (DHHS) Secretary Michael O. Leavitt's visit to Pakistan.

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Influenza Division's International Cooperative Agreement meeting
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11. (U) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Avian
Influenza (AI) Coordinator Program in India Dr. Renu Lal visited
Cairo from 12-16 August 2008. Dr. Renu Lal was in Cairo to attend
an Influenza Division's International Cooperative Agreement meeting
from Aug 13-15, 2008. A total of 140 participants (cooperative
agreement partners and WHO regional staff) representing 25 countries
attended a 3 day workshop in Cairo. Dr. A. C. Mishra, Director,
National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, Principal Investigator
of the HHS/CDC cooperative agreement with ICMR, along with Dr. M.
Chadha, NIV, Pune, Dr. Harpreet Kaur, ICMR HQ, and Dr. S. Broor,
Prof of Microbiology, AIIMS, New Delhi attended the meeting.

12. (U) The workshop focused on Virologic surveillance for
Influenza, laboratory aspects of Influenza surveillance,
coordination and cross cutting of surveillance activities across
regions including plans to develop guidelines for pandemic influenza
surveillance, and regional training and capacity building. Other
issues discussed included basics of cooperative agreement management
and payment systems which were very useful for partners who have
recently been granted cooperative agreements. Overall plans are to
develop unified guidelines for surveillance and disease burden
studies around the globe so that unified data can be generated. The
meeting also opened channel of communications among various
participants, and clearly identified certain regional needs. For
instance, it was identified that there is need for training in
Influenza isolation and characterization techniques. NIV, Pune has
plans to conduct a training workshop in November, 2008 for their own
network members and also open up participation from other
international sites.

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Update on preparations for the US-Indo joint workshop on Good
Clinical Practice (GCP)/Clinical Research Inspection
--------------------------------------------- --------

13. (U) As reported in the previous ESTH Report, the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration (USFDA) will engage with the Ministry of Health
Drug Controller General's (DCGI) Office in a joint basic workshop on
Good Clinical Practice (GCP)/Clinical Research Inspection from 2-5
September 2008 in New Delhi. These workshop dates have received
approval from Secretary Health Mr. Naresh Dayal. The USFDA
delegation of Dr. David Lepay and Dr. Jean Toth-Allen will be expert
faculty for the GCP training program for DCGI officials and

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nominated State Drug Controllers engaged in Good Clinical Practices.
Dr. Beverly Corey, USFDA Senior Science Advisor will also join the
delegation. The GCP workshop will include a site visit to an
industry. This is first of a three-part series of
"train-the-trainer"workshops to develop knowledge and skills in
inspecting clinical trial sites, implementing a GCP inspection
program and training future GCP/inspectors/staff.

14. (U) HHS Office is assigned by CDC to assist the organization of
the CDC/IEIP Regional Training-of-Trainer Workshop on Respiratory
Infection Control in Healthcare Facilities in Bangkok, Thailand, 1-5
September 2008. HHS/CDC continues to support joint workshops on
issues related to AI and Influenza.

15. (U) HHS Office supported the Indo-U.S. workshop 'Medical
Countermeasures for Radiation Injury: Current and Evolving
Technologies.' This Workshop held in New Delhi from 17-20 August
2008 is jointly organized by the U.S. National Institutes of Health
(NIH) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
and the Indian Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences
(INMAS), Defense Research and Development Organization, Ministry of
Defense, Government of India. First of its kind, this workshop aims
to explore mutual research interests related to detection and
treatment of injuries associated with intentional or accidental
radiation exposure and lead to scientific collaborations in this
important focus area. A/DCM George Deikun delivered opening remarks
on behalf of the USG at the inaugural session of the Workshop on 17
August 2008.

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Polio Update
-----------------

16. (U) As reported in the Indian print media, the resurgence of
poliovirus in western Uttar Pradesh has rung alarm bells in the
Health Ministry. This was predicted by the India Experts Advisory
Group (IEAG) in May this year. The IEAG, which includes
representatives from tHe WHO, UNICEF and HHS/CDC, had warned the
Indian Government that cases of P1 poliovirus may occur. It had
advised that an intensive program be launched to deal with the
situation. "While the end of wild poliovirus is in sight, the IEAG
strongly warns against getting complacent. Cases of both Wild Polio
Virus Type P1 and P3 may still occur during the high season in 2008
and these cases will require an immediate response," the IEAG had
said in May. Uttar Pradesh didn't report any P1 case till June this
year and the officials had started concentrating on P3 virus. Since
June 2008, five P1 cases have been reported from the area. Health
Ministry officials involved in the project have now started
epidemiological investigation and genetic sequencing of the virus
reported from Badaun, Uttar Pradesh to check if the virus has been
reintroduced into western UP from outside or is a continuation of
transmission from the last year. As of Tuesday, 19 August the total
polio cases stands at 359 (P1=13 and P3=346).

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Biomedical Waste Disposal - A Mess in India's Capital New Delhi
--------------------------------------------- --------

17. (U) Delhi based NGO 'Vatavaran' led by Dr. Iqbal Malik has
reported on the waste disposal mechanism at several hospitals in the
city. The findings indicate that the treatment and disposal of
biomedical waste is a cause for concern. According to the report
most hospitals are not dealing with their waste according to the set
guidelines and a substantial part of the waste such as syringes find
their way back into the market sans treatment posing a serious

NEW DELHI 00002295 005.2 OF 005

public health hazard.

18. (U) In New Delhi, of the 425,000 syringes discarded daily in
its hospitals, only 30-40 percent were incinerated or destroyed.
The rest are back in circulation and sold in the city's markets.
All India Needle and Syringe Manufacturers Association President
Rajiv Nath said "It is clear that there are several loopholes in the
system". For gloves, of the 15,640 discarded daily, only 10 percent
are autoclaved and then shredded. The remaining 90 percent are
washed, repacked and sold to small nursing homes or for household
use. The Report also studied the waste disposal system at the
prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). The
findings are damaging. AIIMS generates 500-600 bags of hospital
waste daily. These are color coded, yellow for infectious waste
accounting for 100 per day, 200 blue bags for syringes and needles
and another 300 black bags for non-infectious waste. The Report has
stated that the incinerator area meant for yellow bags maintained
the temperature for incineration at 580 degrees Celsius against the
mandatory 900 degrees Celsius. At the autoclave, meant for
shredding, people were sorting out waste like syringes and gloves.
AIIMS Medical Superintendent Dr. D.K. Sharma said "We strictly
follow the rules of biomedical waste management. We have three
color coded dustbins in the campus for the same. As far as syringes
are concerned, they are sterilized in an autoclave, shredded and
then the plastic waste sold". (Note: There is an ongoing debate in
the Indian Parliament and the Ministry of Health on this issue. End
Note.)

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HHS/CDC Lab Quality Assessment of HIV National Reference
Laboratories (NRL) - Follow up actions
--------------------------------------------- --------

19. (U) The NRL assessment report carried out for 13 HIV testing
laboratories in India by CDC, was submitted to the National AIDS
Control Organization (NACO) on July 30. This report was further
shared with Health Secretary Naresh Dayal. He has officially shared
the report with all NRLs and called them for a follow-up meeting in
early September to draft a plan that will prepare the NRLs to meet
the minimum standards (80% score) by the end of this calendar year.
CDC will assist NACO and NRLs in this process. This is the first
time ever that an external assessment of lab quality has been
conducted. The planned meeting of all key lab Directors with NACO
presents a unique opportunity for the Mission to highlight USG/MOHFW
collaboration on strengthening this essential component of the
public health systems in India.

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President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Department of
Defense (DOD) Visioning Exercise
--------------------------------------------- --------

20. (U) A five-member team delegation from the Naval Health
Research Center, US Pacific Command and Center of Excellence,
Hawaii, was in New Delhi August 11-14, 2008 to participate in the
visioning and future direction of the PEPFAR DOD program for India
with the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS). HHS/CDC and USAID
participated in this review and program re-alignment. US DOD
engagement with Indian AFMS led to establishment of the first
immunodeficiency center for HIV at Army Hospital in New Delhi (US
funds and equipment provided by PEPFAR/DOD.) The review team also
highlighted two technical areas (Lab strengthening and
surveillance/data analysis) for collaboration between CDC and DOD.

MULFORD

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