VZCZCXYZ0005
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHJA #2828/01 3000917
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 270917Z OCT 06
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1594
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA
INFO RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RHMFIUU/BUMED WASHINGTON DC
RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 7413
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 0059
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 1952

UNCLAS JAKARTA 012828 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP/MLS, EAP/IET, MED/DASHO/EMR AND MED 
DEPT FOR G/AIAG AND OES 
DEPT PASS TO USDA/FAS/DLP/HWETZEL AND FAS/ICD/LAIDIG 
DEPT ALSO PASS TO USDA/FAS/FAA/DYOUNG AND USDA/APHIS/ANNELLI 
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 
BANGKOK FOR APHIS/CARDENAS, RMO, CDC, USAID/RDM/A 
CANBERRA FOR APHIS/EDWARDS 
ROME FOR FAO 
NSC FOR JMELINE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TBIO AMED CASC EAGR AMGT PGOV ID KFLU
SUBJECT: INDONESIA - OCTOBER 20 AVIAN INFLUENZA (AI) UPDATE 
 
REF: A) Jakarta 12781    B) Jakarta 12253 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary. Coordinating Minister for Peoples' Welfare 
Aburizal Bakrie announced at an October 20 news conference a 
decrease in the number of AI-affected provinces over the past six 
months from 30 to 16.  At the same news conference, Agriculture 
Minister Anton Apriyantono announced government plans to force 
city residents to cage fowl.  However, on October 22, critics 
including Indonesia Consumers' Foundation Chief Husna Zahier and 
sociologist Ida Ruwaidi reportedly expressed skepticism about the 
Government's plan to contain poultry in residential areas.  With 
no new human cases since Ref A, as of October 27, NAMRU-2 data 
reflect 72 confirmed cases with 55 fatalities. End Summary. 
 
GOI Officials Make Positive AI Announcements 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) At an October 20 press conference, several GOI officials 
announced recent progress in Indonesia's efforts to control AI. 
Coordinating Minister for Peoples' Welfare Aburizal Bakrie 
announced that the number of Indonesian provinces affected by the 
AI virus in poultry has fallen from 30 to 16 over the past six 
months. "That finding is based on our observations for the last 
six months", Bakrie said.  "Fourteen provinces have been 
considered free or did not report any bird flu cases to the 
National Committee for AI Control and Pandemic Influenza 
Preparedness", he continued.  "There have been massive 
vaccinations of livestock in areas prone to the virus." 
 
¶3. (SBU) When we attempted to corroborate Bakrie's announcement, 
National AI Committee head Bayu Krisnamurthi told us that "14 
provinces...in the last 6 months have not reported nor identified 
(from surveillance) any incident of AI in birds.  These 14 
provinces are part of the 30 provinces which are already endemic 
with AI." 
 
¶4. (U) Agriculture Minister Anton Apriyantono announced at the 
same press conference Government plans to force city residents to 
cage fowl.  "There will be a regulation that all poultry must be 
put inside cages, especially in urban areas", Apriyantono said. 
He did not disclose when the ban would take effect but noted that 
it needs to be further coordinated with other ministries, 
provincial administrators and the military.  The timeframe "is 
being worked out" with experts from the U.N.'s Food and 
Agriculture Organization, Apriyantono said, adding that GOI has 
the authority to enact the rule based on existing agricultural 
regulations. 
 
Doubts From Consumer Groups 
--------------------------- 
 
¶5. (U) Despite the announcements by the two ministers, on October 
22 Indonesia Consumers' Foundation Chief Husna Zahier and 
sociologist Ida Ruwaidi expressed doubts to Jakarta Post 
reporters about the government's plan to contain poultry in 
residential areas.  Zahier noted the plan would be ineffective 
without a careful study of poultry and the relationship of 
poultry with their owners.  "Keeping birds or poultry as a hobby 
or for eggs or meat is not the same," she said.  Ruwaidi noted 
that quantity of birds, chickens and ducks that people kept in 
residential areas also mattered.  "The large quantity of the 
poultry stock means that the whole community in the area, not 
just local administration or fowl owners should also take 
responsibility," she noted. She advocated that everyone in 
affected areas should be authorized to "enforce social control" 
and that individuals should be given authority to monitor and 
report on their neighbors whether poultry is caged or allowed to 
roam free. 
 
NAMRU-2 Human AI Case Profile 
------------------------------- 
¶6. (SBU) NAMRU-2 reports no new human cases since Ref A.  NAMRU-2 
tested five patient samples from a reported Sulawesi cluster of 
suspected case over the weekend of October 21.  All samples 
tested negative for H5N1.  NAMRU-2 confirmed H1 (ordinary flu) 
for one of these samples.  NAMRU-2 data indicates the following 
AI-related case profile as of October 27: 
 
-- Number of laboratory confirmed (positive PCR and/or serology) 
human AI cases: 72, of which 55 have been fatal (case fatality 
rate of 77 percent). 
 
-- Number of probable AI cases 3 (2 deaths, 67%). 
 
-- Number of cases awaiting analysis at the U.S. CDC: 3. 
 
-- Number of possible untested AI cases under investigation (last 
30 days): approximately 28. 
 
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 October 16, notes 72 
human AI cases in Indonesia with 55 deaths.  WHO figures can be 
accessed at www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza. 
 
PASCOE