VZCZCXRO2125
PP RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #1189/01 1700821
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 180821Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9323
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA
INFO RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC
RUEAWJB/DOJ WASHDC
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 7792

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 001189 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR EAP/MTS, G/AIAG, L/DL, EAP/EX, AND OES/IHA 
USAID FOR ANE/CLEMENTS AND GH/CARROLL 
DEPT ALSO PASS TO HHS/WSTEIGER/MSTLOUIS AND HHS/NIH 
DEPT ALSO PASS TO DOJ for OFL 
GENEVA FOR WHO/HOHMAN 
USDA/FAS/OSTA BRANT, ROSENBLUM 
USDA/APHIS ANNELLI 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TBIO EAGR AMGT PGOV ID KLIG
SUBJECT: INDONESIA - JUNE 18 AVIAN INFLUENZA UPDATE 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary.  On June 16, Dr. Sangkot Marzuki, Director of the 
Eijkman Institute confirmed that the Eijkman Institute was now 
conducting full sequencing of samples H5N1 virus. Eijkman staff have 
isolated virus in the BSL3 laboratory after culture in embryonated 
eggs.  He also outlined potential plans to move the Eijkman 
Institute from the Ministry of Research and Technology to the 
President's Office, with coordination to occur with the Ministry of 
Health (MOH).  World Health Organization (WHO) officials noted that 
Dr. Subhash Salunke, WHO Representative for Jakarta will meet with 
Minister of Health Fadilah Supari during the week of June 22 to 
discuss Indonesia's obligations under the International Health 
Regulations (IHR) to report avian influenza occurrences within 24 
hours.  The avian influenza (AI) review team concluded a full week 
of meetings with donor partners, government animal and human health 
officials, hospital and agricultural laboratories, and USAID funded 
programs in Jakarta and West Java.  On June 11-12, the Regional 
Emerging Disease Intervention (REDI) Centre sponsored a workshop 
attended by physicians from AI referral hospitals and the private 
sector.  Although the Ministry of Health Press Office still has not 
officially announced the last two AI Cases, the MOH "unofficially" 
reports 135 cases, with 110 fatalities.  End Summary. 
 
 
EIJKMAN INSTITUTE STARTS FULL AI SEQUENCING 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) In meetings last week, Dr. Sangkot Marzuki, Director told 
us that Eijkman Institute had begun full sequencing of a limited 
number of samples of avian influenza virus.  Marzuki reported that 
the Eijkman Institute has signed a cooperative agreement with the 
Indonesian CDC and Indonesian National Institutes of Health Research 
and Development (NIHRD) outlining the roles of Eijkman, CDC, and 
NIHRD in AI surveillance. Eijkman is responsible for "genomic risk 
assessment" and maintaining an archive of H5N1 virus isolates. 
Eijkman has not received any funding from the MOH or the Ministry of 
Science and Technology to support work on AI samples and is seeking 
support from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC 
is trying to support Eijkman through ongoing cooperative agreement 
with the Indonesian CDC.  Marsuki noted it will take several months 
to process archived samples from 60 patients identified in 2007-08. 
 
 
¶3. (SBU) Marzuki also explained that President Yudhoyono's office 
will decide whether to move the Eijkman Institute from the Ministry 
of Research and Technology to the President's Office, under the 
coordination of Ministry of Health, in a plan originally developed 
by former Indonesian President Habibie.  Marzuki noted that 
coordination through the Ministry of Health would offer the Eijkman 
Institute better access to MOH funding and reduce interagency 
politics but would still preserve Institute independence.  The 
Ministry of Health has proposed that the Eijkman Institute be moved 
directly under MOH, with no reporting relationship to the 
President's Office. 
 
WHO REPRESENTATIVE TO DISCUSS IHR CONCERNS 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶4. (SBU) Local WHO representatives noted that Dr. Subhash Salunke, 
WHO Jakarta Representative, plans to meet with Minister Supari 
during the week of June 22 to address Indonesia's obligations to 
report Avian Influenza cases within 24 hours as required under the 
IHR.  Officials characterized Salunke's current working relationship 
with Minister Supari as "excellent" and noted hope that the problem 
will be resolved following the meeting. 
 
REVIEW TEAM VISITS GOVERNMENT, DONORS, PROJECTS 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶5.  (U) The AI Review team continued efforts to review USG programs 
in Indonesia.  Field trips outside Jakarta included a tour to a 
Tangerang poultry market and a briefing about the Tangerang 
Trilateral project as well as a visit to the agriculture research 
laboratory (Balitvet) in Bogor.  In addition to visiting provincial 
and district health and veterinary offices and laboratories in 
Bandung, the team toured poultry processing facilities (traditional 
and modern), and a sector three poultry farm.  Review team members 
met with community volunteers from the CBAIC program, and observed a 
 
JAKARTA 00001189  002 OF 002 
 
 
participatory disease surveillance and response (PDS/R) team 
conducting a follow-up activity after a previous outbreak of poultry 
deaths. 
 
¶6. (U) In Jakarta, the team met with central government health and 
veterinary counterparts as well as donor partners, including the 
World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children's Fund 
(UNICEF), the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World 
Bank (WB), and AusAid. 
 
PRIVATE PHYSICIANS RECEIVE AI TRAINING 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶7.  (U) Responding to a need for private physician training on AI 
case management, approximately 30 private physicians participated in 
a case management follow-up workshop for AI referral hospitals 
sponsored by the REDI Centre on June 11-12 in Jakarta. 
 
HUME