VZCZCXRO2541
PP RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #0923/01 2440926
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 010926Z SEP 06
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9491
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA PRIORITY
INFO RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RHMFIUU/BUMED WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUEKJCS/CJCS WASHDC
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 9892
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0946
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 1928
RUEHGP/AMEMBASSY SINGAPORE 5443
RUEHIN/AIT TAIPEI 1856
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 2190
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 3626
RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY 0126
RUEHGZ/AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU 0275

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 JAKARTA 010923 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR EAP/MLS, EAP/IET, A/MED AND S/ES-O 
DEPT FOR G/AIAG/JLANGE AND RFENDRICK 
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/WSTEIGER/ABHAT/MSTLOUIS AND HHS/NIH 
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 - SEPTEMBER 1 AVIAN INFLUENZA (AI) UPDATE 
 
REF: A) Jakarta 10492 B) Jakarta 10140 and previous 
 
JAKARTA 00010923  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary. The Government of Indonesia (GOI) announced 
refocused priorities for controlling avian influenza (AI) at a 
successful international donor meeting on August 23-24.  Donor 
representatives were pleased with the coordination of the meeting 
and refocused GOI priorities but concerned by proposed GOI budget 
cuts in 2007 for AI activities.  The GOI will convene a policy 
and technical meeting on AI control in Animals on September 15 
sponsored by USAID. On September 1, the GOI launched the National 
Committee for Avian Influenza Control and Pandemic Influenza 
Preparedness (National AI Committee) Secretariat and an AI public 
awareness campaign.  A local newspaper reported on August 25 that 
Indonesia has suffered up to $170 million in damages to its 
poultry industry as a result of AI.  On August 29, the World 
Health Organization released new case definitions for suspected, 
probable and confirmed human cases of H5N1 infection, and as a 
result, NAMRU-2 identified one additional subject as "confirmed". 
Using the new WHO case definitions, as of September 1, data from 
NAMRU-2 and the Ministry of Health show 63 human AI cases in 
Indonesia with 48 fatalities. End Summary. 
 
International Donor's Meeting 
------------------------------ 
 
¶2. (U) On August 23-24, 2006, Indonesia's National AI Committee 
hosted a meeting to map donor and GOI resources committed to AI 
control and to identify gaps in funding.  During his opening 
remarks, Dr. Bayu Krisnamurthi, Executive Secretary for the 
National AI Committee announced that the GOI is narrowing its 
priorities to three key components of its national strategy: risk 
communications, information and public awareness; epidemiological 
surveillance of animals and humans; and highly pathogenic avian 
influenza control in animals.  Donors concurred with this 
refocus, recognizing that human cases will continue until the 
disease is controlled at the poultry source. 
 
¶3. (U) The mapping exercise revealed that the GOI and donors have 
budgeted approximately $93 million for AI control in 2006, about 
60% of which has come from the GOI budget and 40% from donor 
support.  Approximately 60-70% of total funds have been directed 
to human health.  Meeting attendees agreed that funding needs to 
shift to focus on the new strategic priorities through increased 
funding for AI control in animals, including vaccination, culling 
and compensation.  The GOI estimated that comprehensive 
implementation of the refocused strategy would cost approximately 
$250 million per year. 
 
¶4. (U) While the announcements, findings, and tone of the meeting 
were positive, the National AI Committee also announced that the 
draft 2007 budget reduces funds for AI control to $46.5 million 
from US $57.4 million in 2006.  This includes reductions in the 
Ministry of Agriculture budget for animal health.  Donors reacted 
negatively and suggested that the GOI remedy this funding cut. 
World Bank Country Representative Andrew Steer noted that donors 
would not be willing to support increased funding for Indonesia 
for new priorities if the GOI was decreasing its own AI budget. 
In the wake of the donors meeting, the local press reported on 
 
JAKARTA 00010923  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
August 31 that Vice President Kalla had assured Steer that the AI 
budget will not be cut. 
 
Proposed Policy and Technical Meeting for AI Control in Animals 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------------------- 
 
¶5. (U) The National AI Committee will host a policy and technical 
meeting on September 15 to bring together key representatives 
from the GOI, donors and international organizations to 
coordinate on AI Control in animals.  Coordinating Minister for 
People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie will open the event, which USAID 
is sponsoring.  The meeting's objectives include: A) developing a 
realistic and effective AI animal control program; B) obtaining 
key stakeholder agreement on the animal control program; and C) 
gaining consensus on a plan for rolling-out the animal control 
program at all levels of government.  The agenda includes a 
presentation of the GOI's refocused program for AI control in 
animals; a presentation and discussion with U.N. AI Coordinator 
David Nabarro and other potential high-level participants; and 
formulation of an implementation plan. 
 
Launch of National AI Committee and AI Public Awareness Campaign 
--------------------------------------------- ------------------ 
 
¶6. (U) The GOI officially launched the National AI Committee 
Secretariat at a September 1 reception.  Established earlier in 
 
SIPDIS 
the year by presidential decree, the National AI Committee is a 
minister-level committee that coordinates Indonesian actions at 
controlling bird flu.  A staff of 15 carries out day-to-day 
operations.  At the reception, Dr. Bayu inaugurated an AI Public 
Awareness Campaign  "Tanggap Flu Burung!" (Pay Attention to Bird 
Flu!) that is aimed at all Indonesians, including the millions of 
small-scale, backyard poultry owners across the country.  The 
campaign uses television and radio public service announcements 
(PSAs) and an emergency PSA featuring Indonesian celebrities in 
local languages and dialects.  A PSA aimed at children features 
action star Jackie Chan, and has already started airing on 
Indonesian TV stations. The campaign also uses billboards, 
magazine articles, comic books, informational leaflets and 
signage that are distributed throughout the country. 
 
Indonesia Loses Rp. 1.3 Trillion Due to Bird Flu 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶7. (U) A local newspaper reported on August 25th that Indonesia 
has suffered a loss of up to US$ 170 million, or Rp. 1.53 
trillion, since the start of bird flu. According to Dian 
Triansyah Djani, the ASEAN Cooperation Director General of the 
Foreign Ministry, the loss is based on deaths and destroyed 
poultry only and is less than the losses calculated for Thailand 
and Vietnam. 
 
WHO New Definitions and Human AI Case Profile 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶8.  (SBU) With the August 29 announcement by the WHO to revise 
WHO AI Case Definitions, NAMRU-2 has retrospectively made changes 
 
JAKARTA 00010923  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
to the number of confirmed cases of H5N1 infection in humans in 
Indonesia to match new WHO definitions.  The proposed WHO 
definitions will have the greatest impact on the number of cases 
listed as probable.  These definitions can be found on the 
official World Health Organization (WHO) website which can be 
accessed at www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza.  Researchers 
anticipate additional modifications to definitions. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Currently both NAMRU-2 and the Indonesian Ministry of 
Health have the same number of confirmed cases. NAMRU-2 data 
indicates the following AI-related case profile as of September 
1: 
 
-- Number of laboratory confirmed (positive PCR and/or serology) 
human AI cases: 63, of which 48 have been fatal (case fatality 
rate of 76 percent). 
 
-- Number of probable AI cases 1, with 1 death (fatality rate of 
100 percent). 
 
-- Number of cases awaiting sequencing at the U.S. CDC: 0. 
 
-- Number of possible untested AI cases under investigation (last 
30 days): approximately 30. 
 
Note: NAMRU-2 statistics differ from statistics on the official 
World Health Organization (WHO) website, which usually lags NAMRU- 
2 data by one week.  The WHO website, last updated on August 23, 
notes 60 human AI cases in Indonesia with 46 deaths. 
 
PASCOE