VZCZCXRO7202
PP RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #1582/01 2621012
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 191012Z SEP 06
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0202
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 9935
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0954
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 1936
RUEHGP/AMEMBASSY SINGAPORE 5478
RUEHIN/AIT TAIPEI 1864
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 2200
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 3646
RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY 0137
RUEHGZ/AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU 0283

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 JAKARTA 011582 
 
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 PGOV ID KFLU
SUBJECT: INDONESIA - SEPTEMBER 18 AVIAN INFLUENZA (AI) 
UPDATE 
 
REF: A) Jakarta 11212 and previous 
 
JAKARTA 00011582  001.2 OF 004 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary.  The National Committee for Avian 
influenza and Pandemic Response (National AI Committee) 
brought together on September 15 key representatives from 
the government of Indonesia (GOI), donor agencies and 
international organizations to coordinate funding and 
implementation of intensified AI control in animals in 
Indonesia.  On September 11, National AI Committee Executive 
Director Bayu Krisnamurthi described Indonesia's AI strategy 
to the Ambassador and identified the need for the long-term 
restructuring of the animal health system.  We joined the 
Singaporean Embassy in a September 13 meeting at the 
Ministry of Health (MOH) to encourage progress on Tangerang 
project implementation.  As of September 15, NAMRU-2 reports 
no new confirmed human AI cases since we transmitted Ref A. 
Data from NAMRU-2 and the MOH show 65 human AI cases in 
Indonesia with 49 fatalities.  End Summary. 
 
Successful Coordinating Meeting on AI Control 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) The National AI Committee hosted a policy and 
technical meeting in Jakarta on September 15.  The meeting, 
sponsored by USAID, brought together key representatives 
from the GOI, donor agencies and international organizations 
to coordinate funding and implementation of intensified AI 
control in animals.  Dr. Bayu opened the meeting, which also 
included a speech from United Nations System Influenza 
Coordinator Dr. David Nabarro and presentations from key 
international partners, including USAID, the World Bank, the 
Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), 
USDA, and the United Nations Food and Agriculture 
Organization (FAO).  Participants recognized Indonesia's 
progress in controlling AI, particularly over the past 2-3 
months.  USAID and the World Bank (Avian and Human Influenza 
Facility Trust Fund) presented an activity for intensified 
and sustained implementation of the GOI animal response and 
containment plan.  The plan includes focal culling with 
compensation, ring vaccination, district-level socialization 
of animal control issues, and a validation exercise to 
ensure the program is effective. 
 
¶3. (U) Dr. Nabarro commended Indonesia for its "enormous" 
progress in tackling AI over the past eight to twelve weeks 
and its focus on animal health and behavior change 
communications.  He noted that the Participatory Disease 
Surveillance and Response (PDS/R) program is making 
significant progress at the local level in identifying and 
controlling animal outbreaks.  Through USAID and other donor 
support, the PDS/R program has expanded from its initial 12 
pilot districts to over 60 high-risk districts and will roll- 
out to 159 districts by early 2007.  Nabarro stressed, 
however, that the GOI and the donor community must do 
significant additional work to bring AI under control in 
Indonesia.  As a result, Nabarro said he would seek 
additional funds for Indonesia from the international donor 
 
JAKARTA 00011582  002.2 OF 004 
 
 
community. 
 
Meeting with Coordinating Minister Bakrie 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Following the AI partners' meeting, Coordinating 
Minister for Peoples' Welfare Aburizal Bakrie met with 
Nabarro, World Bank Country Director Andrew Steer, visiting 
Director of USAID's AI Unit Dennis Carroll and 
representatives from the Mission and AusAID to discuss AI 
control in Indonesia.  A press conference followed the 
meeting.  For the first time, Bakrie recognized the $47 
million in support international donors have provided 
Indonesia to fight AI and publicly thanked the US, Japan, 
and the World Bank for their assistance.  He also announced 
that the GOI budget for AI has not decreased, as was 
previously reported.  The GOI allocated some funds (such as 
the budget for the National AI Committee) to sectors and 
ministries that were not included in the earlier accounting, 
Bakrie said. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Minister Bakrie also announced two additional 
sources of funds (exact amounts to be determined) for AI: a 
$300 million reserve fund for disasters, much of which 
remains unspent, and an $80 million fund for poverty 
reduction, which the GOI may use to compensate farmers for 
culled birds.  In addition, the Minister stated that, to 
date, the GOI has spent only 5 percent of the $1 million 
earmarked in the current budget for culled bird 
compensation, leaving considerable funds for future use. 
Nabarro and others again acknowledged Indonesia's excellent 
progress on animal health, but indicated they were 
disappointed by the Ministry of Agriculture's (MOA) poor 
representation at the morning meeting.  Nabarro also pointed 
out the lack of central leadership within the MOA on AI 
control.  The meeting ended with participants agreeing to 
Bakrie's suggestion that the GOI and donors develop a "check 
list" for priority AI control actions and budget lines 
within the next two months. 
 
Bayu's Views on GOI Efforts to Control AI 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) During a September 11 meeting with the Ambassador, 
Bayu described Indonesian efforts to refocus its AI control 
campaign on three key strategies: risk communications, 
information and public awareness; epidemiological 
surveillance of animals and humans; and highly pathogenic 
avian influenza control in animals.  Bayu explained that 
Indonesia has been making good progress on the human side of 
AI partially due to stronger infrastructure and the presence 
of puskesmas (provincial health centers), which are located 
throughout Indonesia.  Bayu noted that the animal side of AI 
has no equivalent to puskesmas.  He suggested that the GOI 
must make a long-term commitment to restructure animal 
health in Indonesia to include more infrastructure and 
resources.  AI is only one of many animal diseases prevalent 
 
JAKARTA 00011582  003.2 OF 004 
 
 
in Indonesia; the county also struggles with anthrax, 
rabies, hoof and mouth disease and other animal health 
issues. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Director Bayu stressed the need for an effective 
public awareness campaign focused on villagers who own free 
ranging chickens.  He explained that the GOI had introduced 
the concept of backyard chickens fifteen years ago in an 
effort to promote more protein in Indonesian diets and that 
chicken and eggs account for approximately 60 percent most 
Indonesian's diet.  The Ambassador offered to assist 
Indonesia with additional proposals that may help GOI better 
control AI. 
 
Tangerang Trilateral Project Update 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) On September 13, we joined Singaporean DCM Lim Hong 
Huai in a meeting with Dr. Nyoman Kandun, current GOI head 
for the Tangerang trilateral project, to summarize status of 
actions taken since the August 18 trilateral planning 
meeting in Singapore.  Lim provided a Gant Chart listing 
project implementation over a three-year span and requested 
GOI and USG comments.  He reported that the Singaporean 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs has almost completed review of 
the Singaporean-Indonesian Letter of Intent.  Singapore is 
interested in engaging in any Tangerang soft launch 
activities.  We reported USAID has initiated a "Knowledge, 
Attitudes, and Practices" survey for Tangerang and were 
ready to participate in planned working committees. 
 
¶9. (SBU) The group reached consensus that the National AI 
Committee should take a stronger role in coordinating the 
Tangerang project.  Dr. Nyoman agreed to convene a large 
meeting on the Tangerang trilateral for the week of 
September 18 including representatives from the Singaporean 
and US Embassies, as well as the National AI Committee and 
the Ministries of Health, Agriculture, Finance, and Foreign 
Affairs. 
 
NAMRU-2 Human AI Case Profile 
----------------------------- 
 
¶10. (SBU)  NAMRU-2 data indicates the following AI-related 
case profile as of September 18: 
 
-- Number of laboratory confirmed (positive PCR and/or 
serology) human AI cases: 65, of which 49 have been fatal 
(case fatality rate of 75 percent). 
 
-- Number of probable AI cases 2, with 1 death (fatality 
rate of 50 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. 
 
JAKARTA 00011582  004.2 OF 004 
 
 
 
Note: NAMRU-2 data corresponds with MOH data but may vary at 
times with AI case figures presented on the official World 
Health Organization (WHO) website, which usually lags NAMRU- 
2 data by one week.  The WHO website, last updated on 
September 8, notes 63 human AI cases in Indonesia with 48 
deaths.  WHO figures can be accessed at 
www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza. 
 
PASCOE