VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHJA #0265/01 0320122
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 010122Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3063
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 7657
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 0367
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 1975
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0968

UNCLAS JAKARTA 000265 
 
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/ROSENBLUM 
DEPT ALSO PASS TO USDA/FAS/FAA/DEVER AND USDA/APHIS/ANNELLI 
DEPT ALSO PASS TO USDA/FAS/OTCB/ROSENBLUM AND USDA/AHHIS AUSTGEN 
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
SUBJECT: INDONESIA - JANUARY 30 AVIAN INFLUENZA (AI) UPDATE 
 
REF: A) Jakarta 00166    B) Jakarta 00107 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary. The Mission is working to reverse a January 11 
directive from the National Institute of Health and Research 
Development (NIHRD) instructing NAMRU-2 to no longer ship AI 
specimens to CDC until NAMRU-2 signs a Materials Transfer Agreement 
(MTA).  At a January 26 ceremony, the Ambassador presented the GOI 
with 100,000 USAID-provided kits of Personal Protective Equipment 
and 1,000 decontamination kits for use in preventing the spread of 
bird flu.  USAID organized a 2-day workshop to harmonize mass media 
and behavior change communications messages on January 24-25.  On 
January 24, local press reports carried a claim by an Indonesian 
scientist that he had found the AI virus in flies.  Teams of health 
workers have slaughtered poultry in advance of Jakarta's February 1 
ban on residential poultry.  The Mission's Naval Medical Research 
Unit (NAMRU-2) has confirmed two additional human AI cases since Ref 
A, both of whom have died. End Summary. 
 
NAMRU-2 Instructed To Stop Sample Shipments to CDC 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶2. (SBU)  On January 11, the National Institute of Health and 
Research Development verbally instructed NAMRU-2 to no longer ship 
AI specimens to the WHO Influenza Reference Center at the CDC until 
NAMRU-2 signs a Materials Transfer Agreement (MTA).  The decision 
came just a day after the GOI introduced text mandating an MTA 
during negotiations on a new NAMRU-2 Memorandum of Understanding. 
The Mission is working hard to reverse this decision.  The 
Ambassador has raised the issue with Presidential Advisor Dino 
Djalal, Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie, 
and National Committee for AI Control and Pandemic Preparedness 
(KOMNAS) Executive Director Bayu Krisnamurthi.  Djalal in turn told 
us he phoned Minister of Health Siti Fadilah Supari, who claimed the 
issue is a misunderstanding and promised to rectify it.  However, on 
January 31 NAMRU-2 received a copy of a December 20 notice signed by 
Supari prohibiting the shipment of specimens out of Indonesia by any 
organization without the Ministry of Health's permission.  The DCM 
is scheduled to meet NIHRD Director Triono Soendoro on January 31 to 
further discuss the issue. 
 
Pascoe Presents Personal Protective Equipment 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (U) On January 26, the Ambassador presented Coordinating Minister 
Bakrie with 100,000 kits of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) and 
1,000 decontamination kits to be used in preventing the spread of 
bird flu here in Indonesia.  The USAID-funded donation represents 
the first installment of a transfer of 200,000 sets of PPE and 2,000 
decontamination kits in 2007.  The PPEs and decontamination 
equipment include protective suits, respirators, goggles and gloves, 
and will enable Indonesia's AI Control programs to expand their 
efforts to increase avian influenza-related surveillance and 
detection.  The Ambassador also acknowledged the donation of almost 
100K of equipment from USAID/NAMRU-2 for the AI laboratory at 
NIHRD. 
 
USAID Sponsors AI Communications Harmonization Workshop 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶4. (U) USAID's Community-Based AI Control (CBAIC) program organized 
and sponsored a communications harmonization workshop on 24-25 
January 2007 in Jakarta.  Over 70 representatives from 25 Indonesian 
and international donor organizations attended the KOMNAS-hosted 
event.  The workshop resulted in agreement on communication 
strategies and messages in five key areas, including 1) bird to bird 
transmission; 2) bird to human transmission; 3) strategic 
positioning and branding; 4) pandemic simulation; and 5) 
institutional mechanisms for collaboration and coordination.  As a 
next step, a representative team formed from the workshop 
participants will finalize a communications guide book based on the 
results of the workshop.  Within the last 12 months, various GOI and 
donor agencies have launched eight separate communication 
initiatives without full coordination, raising the potential for 
conflicting or confusing messages. 
 
Indonesian Scientist Claims AI Found in Flies 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (U) The Jakarta Post published an article on January 24 claiming 
that Veterinary Pathologist Wasito of Gadja Madah University has 
found avian influenza virus present in flies.  Details of the 
research remain unknown.  If confirmed, the findings would suggest 
that flies may carry the virus in previously infected areas.  "We do 
not yet dare to say whether the avian influenza we found in the 
flies is low pathogenic or highly pathogenic.  We can only say that 
in flies, we also found the bird flu virus in organs," Wasito said. 
Wasito did not say whether he planned to submit his research for 
publication. 
 
Health Teams Begin Jakarta Poultry Culling 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶6. (U) Throughout the week of January 21, teams of health works have 
slaughtered thousands of birds in Jakarta ahead of a February 1 ban 
on backyard poultry.  Until the end of January, the program to 
eliminate birds is essentially voluntary: residents may eat or kill 
their birds and will receive 12,500 rupiahs (about $1.40) 
compensation for each bird, if officials find no virus in the area. 
Residents are not compensated if officials find evidence of 
infection nearby.  Effective February 1, authorities plan to 
confiscate without compensation all birds found on domestic premises 
without certification. 
 
NAMRU-2 Identifies Additional Cases 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) NAMRU-2 reports two additional cases of human H5N1 
infection since Ref A, both of whom died.  The cases include a 
32-year-old female from Garut and a six-year-old female from 
Magelang.  The 32-year-old female was admitted to the Dr. Slamet 
Hospital in Garut on January 16 and died January 20. The 
six-year-old was admitted to the Sardjito Hospital in Yogyakarta on 
January 19 after 11 days of illness and died the same day. She had 
initially been treated for typhoid fever at Morangan Hospital, near 
Magelang.  The NIHRD has not permitted NAMRU-2 to ship specimens 
from the two to the U.S. CDC. 
 
¶8. (SBU) NAMRU-2 data indicates the following AI-related case 
profile as of January 26: 
 
-- Number of laboratory confirmed (positive PCR and/or serology) 
human AI cases: 81, of which 63 have been fatal (case fatality rate 
of 78 percent). 
 
-- Number of probable AI cases: 4, of which 2 are fatal (case 
fatality rate of 50%). 
 
-- Number of cases awaiting analysis at the U.S. CDC: 0. 
 
-- Number of possible untested AI cases under investigation (last 30 
days): 25. 
 
Note: NAMRU-2 data corresponds with Ministry of Health (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 January 22, 
notes 80 human AI cases in Indonesia with 62 deaths.  For WHO 
figures, log onto their website at 
www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza. 
 
PASCOE