VZCZCXRO6249
RR RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #5308/01 1170751
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 270751Z APR 06
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3338
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA
INFO RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC
RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUENMED/BUMED WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUEKJCS/CJCS WASHDC
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 9363
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0838
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 1863
RUEHIN/AIT TAIPEI 1784
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 2124
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 3379
RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY 0058
RUEHGZ/AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU 0216

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 JAKARTA 005308 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR EAP/IET, A/MED AND S/ES-O 
DEPT FOR OES/FO, OES/EID, OES/PCI, OES/STC AND OES/IHA 
DEPT PASS TO USDA/FAS/DLP/HWETZEL AND FAS/ICD/LAIDIG 
DEPT ALSO PASS TO USDA/FAS/FAA/DYOUNG AND USDA/APHIS 
DEPT ALSO PASS TO USAID/ANE/CLEMENTS AND GH/CARROLL 
DEPT ALSO PASS TO HHS/BILL STEIGER AND AMAR BHAT 
PARIS FOR FAS/AG MINISTER COUNSELOR 
CANBERRA FOR APHIS/DHANNAPEL 
ROME FOR FAO 
NSC FOR JMELINE 
BANGKOK FOR RMO, CDC, USAID/RDM/A 
USPACOM ALSO PASS TO J07 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TBIO AMED CASC EAGR AMGT PGOV ID KFLU
SUBJECT:INDONESIA - APRIL 27 AVIAN INFLUENZA (AI) UPDATE 
 
REF: A) Jakarta 4467    B) Jakarta 3896 
 
JAKARTA 00005308  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: The April 19 appointment of a new Director 
General (DG) for the National Institute for Health Research 
and Development (LITBANGKES) bodes well for improved 
relations with the Mission's Naval Medical Research Unit 
(NAMRU-2).  The Executive Director and Chair of the newly 
created National Committee for AI Control (ref), Dr. Bayu 
Krisnamukti, told us the Committee plans to hold a workshop 
in the coming weeks to clarify the role of donor assistance. 
In addition, the Committee will seek help from the World 
Bank on the Government of Indonesia's (GOI) AI master plan. 
The local Department of Animal Husbandry in East Java 
reports that AI outbreaks in poultry continue in the Kediri 
District of East Java.  The Ministry of Health concluded 
that one of the victims of a recent family cluster in 
Lampung was infected with an H3 virus, although NAMRU-2 
disagrees with this finding.  NAMRU-2 reports no new human 
H5N1 cases over the past two weeks.  End summary. 
 
New Head at Litbangkes 
---------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) On April 19, the GOI appointed Dr. Triono Soedoro 
as the new Director General (DG) for the National Institute 
for Health Research and Development (LITBANGKES), a position 
that had been vacant since January 2006.  Soedoro previously 
served as Chief of the Bureau of Social Welfare, Health and 
Nutrition in the National Development Planning Agency 
(BAPPENAS) from 1996-2006.  He graduated in 1979 from the 
Medical Faculty of the University of Airlangga, Surabaya and 
obtained a Doctoral Degree from Yale University.  In one of 
his first acts as the new DG, Soedoro paid a 2-hour visit to 
NAMRU-2 facilities and indicated that he wants to enhance 
cooperation between Litbangkes and NAMRU-2.  (Comment: Given 
tension between some LITBANGKES officials and NAMRU-2, this 
is a very favorable development.) 
 
The National AI Committee 
------------------------- 
 
¶3. (U) In a recent meeting with NAMRU-2 Commander Mark 
Wooster and other NAMRU-2 and USAID health officials, the 
Executive Director and Chair of the newly-created National 
Committee for AI Control Dr. Bayu Krisnamukti provided 
details on the Committee's structure.  Bayu said the 
Committee has two main functions: a) coordination; and b) 
establishment of strong linkages between the central and 
local level governments in both the animal and human health 
sectors.  Bayu said that as Chair, he oversees six 
interagency subcommittees with distinct "specialty areas" or 
areas of focus, each of which will be headed by the most 
senior GOI official working in that area.  For instance, Dr. 
Nyoman Kandun, Director General for Disease Control and 
Environmental Health in the Ministry of Health, will chair 
the health subcommittee and Dr. Delima Ashari, Special 
Advisor to the Minister of Agriculture for Inter-agency and 
International Relations will chair the agriculture 
subcommittee.  The Ministry of Finance, Indonesian Armed 
Forces (TNI) and the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) will also 
 
JAKARTA 00005308  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
chair subcommittees. 
 
¶4. (U) Bayu confirmed that Dr. Emil Agustiono, Senior 
Advisor to Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare will 
serve as his deputy.  The Committee's Secretary is Dr. Tri 
Satya Putri Naipospos (Dr. Tata), the former Director of 
Animal Health in the Ministry of Agriculture who was fired 
in 2005.  In addition to the subcommittee chairs, an Experts 
Panel of approximately 16-17 veterinarians and medical 
doctors will support the national committee.  Bayu insisted 
that the National AI Committee will not act without the 
blessing of the expert panel.  He also invited NAMRU-2 to 
share its expertise with the panel. 
 
¶5. (U) Bayu added that in the interest of coordination, the 
Committee has asked for support from the World Bank to 
scrutinize the GOI's Master AI Plan to "make it more 
operational".  The Committee will then organize a 1-2 day 
workshop in May to bring together GOI ministries and donors 
to help identify who will take the lead and support the 
different aspects of the Master Plan. 
 
AI in East Java 
--------------- 
 
¶6. (U) Abriyanti Dwiwin of the Office of Animal Health in 
the Kediri Department of Animal Husbandry in East Java told 
Congen Surabaya officials about two recently reported avian 
influenza outbreaks in poultry in her district.  Most 
recently, the Department of Animal Husbandry confirmed that 
four dead chickens found in Kanyoran Village on March 23 
were infected with AI.  Dwiwin noted that the Animal 
Husbandry Department culled birds in the immediate area only 
and did not do a mass culling because no other chickens died 
following the death of the four birds.  She claimed Kediri 
authorities followed Ministry procedures by vaccinating and 
disinfectant spraying in a larger radius around the 
outbreak.  She added that the Department managed to borrow 
automatic spuits from local commercial poultry farmers to 
more quickly administer vaccinations to protect local 
flocks.  Dwiwin noted that it takes around two months for 
the central government to process and distribute 
compensation to farmers for culled birds. 
 
Human AI Case Profile 
--------------------- 
 
¶7. (U) NAMRU-2 reports no new H5N1 cases in humans since we 
transmitted Ref A on April 6.  The Ministry of Health 
concluded that one of the victims of a recent family cluster 
in Lampung was infected with an H3 virus.  However, NAMRU-2 
does not support this finding, having found both the sample 
from the MOH and a separate sample to be negative. 
 
¶8. (SBU) NAMRU-2 data indicates the following AI-related 
case profile as of April 24: 
 
-- Number of laboratory confirmed (positive PCR and/or 
serology) human AI cases: 35, of which 26 have been fatal 
(fatality rate of 74 percent). 
 
JAKARTA 00005308  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
 
-- Number of probable AI cases: 3, with 2 deaths (fatality 
rate of 66 percent). 
 
-- Number of cases awaiting verification by the US CDC: 0. 
 
-- Number of possible AI cases under investigation: 
approximately 54. 
 
-- Number of excluded AI cases: 257. 
 
PASCOE