VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHJA #0477 0761018
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 171018Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1863
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC
INFO RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 7875

UNCLAS JAKARTA 000477 
 
SIPDIS 
UNCLASSIFIED 
 
DEPT FOR EAP/MTS, G/OES/IHA/AIAG, EAP/EX 
USAID FOR ANE/CLEMENTS AND GH/CARROLL 
DEPT ALSO PASS TO HHS FOR ACTING SECRETARY 
GENEVA FOR WHO/HOHMAN 
USDA/FAS/OSTA BRANT, ROSENBLUM 
USDA/APHIS ANNELLI 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TBIO EAGR AMGT PGOV ID KFLU
SUBJECT: INDONESIA - NON-REPORTING OF AVIAN INFLUENZA AND 
INTERNATIONAL HEALTH REGULATIONS 
 
Ref: Jakarta 398 
 
¶1. (SBU) This is an action request.  Please see paragraph 4. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Indonesia has not officially confirmed any cases of human 
H5N1 infection since January 22, 2009, despite numerous reports of 
human avian influenza cases.  One March 3 press report quoted Bayu 
Krisnamurthi, Chief Executive of the National Committee for Avian 
Influenza Control and Pandemic Preparedness, announcing four AI 
cases in Bogor, West Java, and Surabaya.  In addition, Embassy 
contacts at one of two laboratories capable of confirming H5N1 cases 
(please protect) state that they have had seventeen samples test 
positive this year.  Neither the Ministry of Health (MOH) nor the 
World Health Organization (WHO) publicly reported these cases. Our 
sources could not confirm how many of these 17 cases were reported 
to the WHO. 
 
¶3. (SBU) In a March 12 meeting, WHO country office (WRO) staff 
stated that the Ministry of Health is reporting H5N1 cases to them 
on a timely basis (they did not confirm how many cases).  WRO staff 
added, however, that they have an agreement with the Ministry of 
Health not to share the information with other Member States until 
the Ministry of Health publicly announces the cases.  Furthermore, 
WRO staff noted that the WHO does not consider H5N1 case reports to 
be Public Health Events of International Concern (PHEICs) subject to 
mandatory public announcement under International Health Regulations 
(IHR). 
 
¶4. (SBU) ACTION REQUEST:  Embassy Jakarta believes that the 
international community requires timely, reliable, and precise 
reporting of H5N1 within the IHR to respond appropriately to H5N1 
events and to provide an accurate barometer of the scope and 
location of the problem.  Post recommends that the Department work 
with other WHO Member States and the WHO Secretariat to clarify 
whether a human H5N1 case is a PHEIC in order to ensure consistent 
and correct reporting of new avian influenza cases. 
 
HUME