VZCZCXRO0525
RR RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #1191/01 1192232
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 292232Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4511
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA
INFO RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI//J07/CATMED/CAT//
RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 7898
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 0701
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1002
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 7563

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 001191 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP/MTS, G/AIAG AND OES 
USAID FOR ANE/CLEMENTS AND GH/CARROLL 
DEPT ALSO PASS TO HHS/WSTEIGER/ABHAT/MSTLOUIS AND HHS/NIH 
GENEVA FOR WHO/HOHMAN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TBIO AMED CASC EAGR AMGT PGOV ID
SUBJECT: INDONESIA- APRIL 27 AVIAN INFLUENZA UPDATE 
 
REF: A) Jakarta 01053 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary. During the week of April 24, a World Health 
Organization (WHO) team assessed qualifications of the National 
Institute for Health Research Development (NIHRD) and the Eijkman 
Institute as potential WHO collaborating centers.  During the NIHRD 
assessment, Dr. Triono Soendoro, NIHRD described the relationship 
between NAMRU-2 and NIHRD as "oneness" and had the assessment team 
tour the NAMRU-2 flu lab.  Despite continued pledges to the WHO that 
the Ministry of Health (MOH) will resume sharing samples, no samples 
have yet left Indonesia.  Local press ran a story on April 26 that 
Minister of Health Minister Fadillah Supari will not share samples 
until an agreement guarantees that recipients won't use samples for 
commercial purposes.  Singapore and Indonesia finalized the 
Tangerang project after 10 months of discussion and have scheduled a 
signing event for May 9.  At the same time, Indonesia's national AI 
coordinating committee (KOMNAS) postponed Tangerang project 
trilateral technical meetings until the week of May 21.  MOH reports 
no new Avian Influenza (AI) cases since we transmitted Ref A.  End 
Summary. 
 
WHO Team Assesses NIHRD and Eijkman 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶2. (SBU) A four member team conducted assessments at both NIHRD and 
the Eijkman Institute during the week of April 23 to determine the 
qualifications of the two institutions to serve as potential WHO 
collaborating laboratories.  During the assessment, Triono 
repeatedly described the relationship between NAMRU-2 and NIHRD as 
"oneness" and brought the assessment team on a tour of the NAMRU-2 
flu laboratory.  Dr. Masato Tashiro, Director of the WHO 
Collaborating Center in Tokyo led the team that included members 
from Thailand and India. 
 
No Material Transfer Agreements, No Samples 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (U) A local newspaper reported on April 25 that Minister of 
Health Siti Fadilah Supari will not send avian influenza virus 
samples to WHO Collaborating Centers until there is an  agreement in 
place that can guarantee samples will not be used for commercial 
purposes.  Supari reportedly noted that the Jakarta declaration was 
insufficient assurance for appropriate use of samples.  According to 
the press report, Supari also said the MOH has received many offers 
from pharmaceutical companies to develop vaccines from the 
Indonesian strain. 
 
¶4. (SBU) During a private meeting on April 16, Triono told us that 
he will soon send samples to WHO collaborating centers in Japan but 
that "he doesn't want to go to jail for 12 years"--a reference to 
penalties Triono claims he could be subject to under Indonesian law 
for not safeguarding Indonesia's best interests in sample sharing. 
Triono echoed his view that WHO labs had misused Indonesian samples 
before and that Indonesia needed MTAs in place to prevent similar 
misuse. 
 
Tangerang Update 
---------------- 
 
¶5. (U) A Singaporean Embassy official told us on April 24 that 
Singapore has finalized a MOU with the Government of Indonesia for 
the Tangerang project and scheduled a signing event for May 9.  The 
Singaporean Minister of Health and Coordinating Minister for 
Peoples' Welfare Abizural Bakrie will sign.  The REDI Center has 
also finalized its MOU with Indonesia.  At the same time, 
Indonesia's national AI coordinating committee (KOMNAS) has 
postponed technical meetings to discuss Tangerang to the week of May 
¶21. 
 
AI Human Case Reports 
----------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) The MOH reports no new human AI cases since Ref A. As a 
result of the sample sharing impasse, Ministry of Health (MOH), 
NAMRU-2 and WHO now post different confirmed AI case statistics, per 
 
JAKARTA 00001191  002 OF 002 
 
 
Table 1. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
Table 1: Indonesia AI Case Counts (4/27/07) 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
                  No.       No.      Fatality 
Organizttion    Cases     Deaths       Rate 
-------------(------------------------------- --- 
MOH              94        74           78% 
 
NAMRU-2          33        64           77% 
 
WHO (1)          81        63           78% 
 
(1) WHO figures date fromwwhen the MOH still sent samples to WHO 
Collaborai(ng Centers for confirmation via NAMRU-2. 
 
HEFFERN