Cablegate: Indonesia - Key Donors Meeting On Ai Control

VZCZCXRO6871
RR RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #2560/01 2561026
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 131026Z SEP 07 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6239
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 8132
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 1164
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1035
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 7617

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 002560

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP/MTS, G/AIAG AND OES
USAID FOR ANE/CLEMENTS AND GH/CARROLL
DEPT ALSO PASS TO HHS/WSTEIGER/ABDOO/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 - KEY DONORS MEETING ON AI CONTROL

REF: A) Jakarta 02182 B) Jakarta 02333

1. (SBU) Summary. During a key donors meeting in Bali on September
11-12, Chief Executive of the Indonesian National Committee for
Avian Influenza and Pandemic Preparedness (KOMNAS) Bayu Krisnamurthi
stated that Indonesia needs around $300 million per year to fight
avian influenza (AI). Donors pledged new funding and greater
coordination to KOMNAS at the meeting. Three Ministers attended the
gathering, indicating increased political commitment to fighting AI
from the Government of Indonesia (GOI). Minister of Health Siti
Fadilah Supari announced final testing and imminent distribution of
a rapid test to confirm human H5N1 infection. UN Systems
Coordinator for AI David Nabarro urged immediate action to reduce
the prevalence of the AI virus in poultry in Indonesia and to resume
open sharing of information and biological materials. Nabarro called
Ambassador Hume on September 13 to share views and concerns about
the AI problem in animals and humans. End Summary.

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AI State Funds Down, But Total GOI Funding Up
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2. (U) Indoneia hosted a key donors meeting for Avian Influenzain
Bali on September 11-12. In a sign of growin GOI concern regarding
the issue, Coordinating Miister for People's Welfare Aburizal
Bakrie, Minser of Health( Fadilah Supari, and Minister of
Ariculture Anton Apriyanto attended the meeting, making the first
time three GOI ministers attendedthe same AI meeting. KOMNAS Chief
Executive BayuKrisnamurthi reported, on the sidelines of the
gthering, that Indonesia needs $300 million per yea to control AI.
For 20007-2008, the GOI has commtted $52.9 million in state funds
while internatonal donors are contributing $68.4 million. Althouh
the state's budget decreased from last year, ttal GOI spending for
AI actually increased when aatoring in funding for diisaster
management and improved i(u ance se rvice.. Bayu stated that the
GOI is using this year'sf"unding to finance six elements of AI
control: uublic communications, restructuring of the poultry
industry, integrated disease surveillance in animals and humans,
virus elimination at the source in poultry, health facilities and
the establishment of pandemic preparedness measures.

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Embassy Announces New Funding
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3. (U) The Embassy announced $25 million in new USAID funding to
fight AI. USAID will use the new assistance to expand existing AI
programs. These programs focus on integrated animal and human
surveillance, AI control in poultry, and behavior change
communications. USAID directs approximately 75% of its funding for
AI toward the animal health sector.

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UN Claims AI Endemic in Poultry, Urges Sample Sharing
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4. (SBU) UN Systems Coordinator David Nabarro asserted that AI among
poultry is now endemic to Indonesia. According to the UN Food and
Agricultural Organization (FAO) reports, Indonesia had over 1,950 AI
poultry outbreaks during the first two quarters of 2007. This
compares to only 454 total outbreaks for all of 2006. Experts
attribute the significant increase to both improved surveillance and
a failure to cull infected birds. Culling currently occurs in only
one third of outbreaks. Experts believe that urgent strengthening
of AI control in poultry is vital to the prevention of future human
cases of AI.

5. (SBU) UN Systems Coordinator David Nabarro recognized the GOI for
improved political commitment to the issue but also emphasized the
critical importance of open sharing of AI information and biological
materials. In addition, Nabarro urged the GOI to improve behavior
change communication, and to strengthen the leadership capacity of
KOMNAS. We understand that Nabarro, in private conversations with
Ministers Bakrie and Supari, also directly urged the GOI to resume

JAKARTA 00002560 002 OF 002

fully sample sharing.

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Minister Announces Imminent Availability of Rapid Test
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6. (SBU) Minister Supari announced the imminent availability of a
rapid test to confirm AI in humans. Supari noted that the Ministry
of Health (MOH) was completing control trials and will distribute
these tests to all hospitals and possibly local clinics, as early as
next week. When queried, Dr. Nyoman Kandun, Head of Indonesian
Centers for Disease Control indicated that he was unaware of the kit
distribution program. Supari did not state whether these kits are
licensed. Experts note that the rapid test is likely to be less
sensitive than the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) confirmation
currently used by the GOI. However, if experts validated the rapid
test and local healthcare providers used the test appropriately, the
kits could be a useful tool for improving early identification of
human cases.

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Nabarro Checks In With Embassy
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7. (SBU) On September 12, Nabarro called Ambassador Hume to discuss
views from the meeting. Nabarro noted the seriousness of the AI
poultry problem, indicating that it may take five years to get this
problem under control. Nabarro mentioned that, during a side
meeting with Supari, she said she had a solution for sample sharing
(NFI), a human vaccine ready for use, and the rapid diagnostic test.
Nabarro said the Indonesian plans were inadequate. He thanked the
USG for its efforts to improve the situation.

HUME

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