VZCZCXRO5352
PP RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #1977/01 3010828
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 270828Z OCT 08
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0417
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 7835

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 001977 
 
SIPDIS 
UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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 - OCTOBER 27 AVIAN INFLUENZA UPDATE 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary. French embassy officials reported that in a series 
of avian influenza (AI) related meetings,  Government of Indonesia 
(GOI)officials told them that the AI situation in Indonesia is 
improving and that the sample sharing impasse will likely end soon. 
U.S. government efforts to contribute to avian influenza control 
intensify through USAID, APHIS, CDC and Regional Emerging Diseases 
Investigation (REDI) center efforts to train and help in pandemic 
preparedness.  Minister of Health Siti Fadilah Supari continues to 
attract press, including stories on her upcoming books about avian 
influenza and HIV/AIDs as well as her trip to Papua to investigate 
allegations that the French are spreading cholera.  For a second 
year in a row, Globe Asia cited Minister of Health Siti Fadilah 
Supari as one of Indonesia's 99 Most Powerful Women.  End Summary. 
 
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French Develop AI Fact-Finding Report 
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¶2. (SBU) A senior French official told us that during a series of 
meetings in late September and early October, Indonesian officials 
from the Ministry of Health and Agriculture reported that Indonesia 
has made substantial gains in controlling avian influenza through 
better training of workers, biosecurity improvement and increased 
public awareness.  During his meeting with Bayu Krisnamurthi, Chief 
Executive Officer of the National Committee for Avian Influenza and 
Pandemic Control (KOMNAS), the French official noted that Bayu 
expressed optimism that the sample sharing impasse would end soon 
given successful bilateral negotiations between the Indonesian and 
United States that were facilitated by Australia.  Bayu hoped that 
the sample sharing impasse will end once the Intergovernmental 
Meetings in Geneva are completed.  The French Embassy is conducting 
these meetings to develop an Indonesian Avian Influenza fact finding 
report that the French will present to European Union countries 
 
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USG Programs Coordinate Donors; Focus on Training and Pandemic 
Preparedness 
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¶3.  (SBU) USAID is working with key GOI partners from the Ministries 
of Health and Agriculture, KOMNAS, and with implementing partners 
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Health Organization 
(WHO), Development Alternatives Inc., International Livestock 
Research Institute, and John Snow International to develop 
coordinated work plans for FY08.  Joint plans include geographic 
focusing on the western half of Java and expanding program 
activities to include interventions in commercial poultry production 
and the market chain. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) During the week of October 20, Ron Waldman, USAID/W team 
leader for humanitarian pandemic preparedness and response visited 
Indonesia with representatives from the International Federation of 
the Red Cross (IFRC) to initiate discussions with the GOI, local Red 
Cross society (PMI) and United Nations agencies for phase 6 pandemic 
preparedness planning and response.  USAID/W is funding a $35 
million three year grant to the United Nations and a $30 million 
three year grant to the IFRC for activities in more than 20 
countries. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) In an effort to improve Indonesia's early warning disease 
surveillance system, CDC is working together with the Ministry of 
Health and WHO on a pilot Early Warning and Response Surveillance 
(EWARS), designed to pick up key diseases such as AI at the district 
level. EWARs will begin in November. CDC, the REDI Center, and the 
National Institute of Health Research and Development (NIHRD) plan 
to track poultry infections in wet markets, abattoirs, and collector 
yards and measure the impact on poultry workers.  On the animal 
side, CDC is supporting Colorado State University with improving 
Bogor Veterinary School's animal sample testing protocols as part of 
their work studying AI disease patterns in ducks. 
¶6. (SBU) CDC is planning to collaborate with MOH, WHO, Embassy of 
Japan on a second epicenter containment exercise during February 
2009 in Makassar, Sulawesi.  This simulation includes testing 
revised operational plans based on lessons learned from the Bali 
exercise.  Planners have already started training of participants 
representing multiple agencies and ministries throughout Indonesia. 
 
 
JAKARTA 00001977  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
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APHIS PROMOTES BIOSECURITY 
--------------------------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) In response to a request from the Indonesian Poultry 
Industry, APHIS is assisting the Indonesian Animal Health Authority 
with training auditors to conduct biosecurity assessments of 
commercial poultry farms. APHIS has already held three workshops 
regarding biosecurity and industry-government cooperation.  The 
Indonesian Poultry Industry hopes to establish biosecurity standards 
to control poultry disease within its commercial poultry sector 
similar to USDA's domestic National Poultry Improvement Plan. 
 
¶8. (SBU) APHIS also reports that officials have completed a baseline 
survey of human and animal health avian influenza risk factors for 
Tangerang.  The Tangerang Project Secretariat plans to present the 
survey results at a workshop in late November. Additional Tangerang 
project plans include implementing biosecurity measures such as 
perimeter control in specific poultry slaughter facilities, markets, 
and poultry producer farms related to slaughter facilities. 
 
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REDI CENTRE UPDATE 
------------------ 
 
¶9.  (SBU) In September 2008, the REDI Centre, WHO, and the MOH 
Directorate of Medical Care Services developed a work plan to update 
AI care and treatment guidelines based on latest published data as 
well as clinical data from Indonesian AI cases.  The MOH plans to 
use the revised guidelines, available in early 2009, to optimize 
current care and treatment of AI patients.  In October 2008, REDI 
began collaborating with WHO-Jakarta to develop a training program 
to ensure that key AI referral hospitals deliver high level critical 
care services.  The REDI Centre plans to support RS Sulianti Saroso, 
the national infectious disease hospital located in Jakarta, in 
developing and implementing their hospital pandemic preparedness 
plan. 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
Supari in the Press: Books, Cholera and Power 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶10. (U) On October 24, the Indonesian newspaper Republica reported 
that Minister Supari plans to release two new books.  Her next book 
will describe the reactions to her first book "It's Time for the 
World to Change" and will include discussion on other issues such as 
NAMRU-2, fuel demonstrations and disease outbreaks.  Supari plans to 
release a third book describing the health problems in Papua, 
including HIV/AIDS, maternal health and infant mortality. 
 
¶11. (SBU) Detiknews featured a story on October 18 noting that 
Supari was visiting a "French-run" gold mine in Papua to investigate 
allegations that the French were spreading cholera to clear village 
of inhabitants so that company can expand mining operations. 
Without explicitly endorsing the allegations, Supari noted her main 
purpose for the visit was to discover the foreign role in the 
outbreak.  (The French Embassy later told us the French company 
named in the article had actually sold off all mining interests over 
four years ago to an American company.) 
 
¶12. (U) In its October 2008 issue, GlobeAsia (a monthly Indonesian 
business magazine) ranked Minister of Health Supari as the 16th most 
powerful woman in Indonesia, which is the same ranking from last 
year's issue.  According to the magazine, "Health Minister Siti 
Fadilah has won international acclaim and received her share of 
criticism over her efforts in tackling the spread of avian influenza 
in Indonesia.  Last year Siti and the government stopped sharing 
bird flu samples with developed nations until Indonesia received 
fairer access to medicines produced from them.  The move drew a 
strong reaction from the US and the World Health Organization (WHO) 
but talks are now reaching a close on a new system for international 
sample sharing." 
 
HUME