Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05SINGAPORE3017
2005-10-14 07:25:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Singapore
Cable title:  

UNDER SECRETARY DOBRIANSKY'S OCTOBER 12 VISIT TO

Tags:  PREL PGOV TBIO KHIV EAGR ECON SN 
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 SINGAPORE 003017 

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G FOR RENATA WOJTASIEWICZ AND VAUGHN TUREKIAN
HHS FOR AMAR BHAT

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/14/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV TBIO KHIV EAGR ECON SN
SUBJECT: UNDER SECRETARY DOBRIANSKY'S OCTOBER 12 VISIT TO
SINGAPORE


Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Judith R. Fergin for Reason 1.4 (d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 SINGAPORE 003017

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G FOR RENATA WOJTASIEWICZ AND VAUGHN TUREKIAN
HHS FOR AMAR BHAT

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/14/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV TBIO KHIV EAGR ECON SN
SUBJECT: UNDER SECRETARY DOBRIANSKY'S OCTOBER 12 VISIT TO
SINGAPORE


Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Judith R. Fergin for Reason 1.4 (d)


1. (U) SUMMARY: Under Secretary for Democracy and Global
Affairs Paula Dobriansky focused on Singapore's influenza
preparedness, its leadership role in the region on this
emerging disease, and the International Partnership on Avian
and Pandemic Influenza (IPAPI) during a busy half-day visit
to Singapore October 12, 2005. The Under Secretary met
separately with Minister for Health Khaw Boon Wan and Second
Minister for Foreign Affairs Raymond Lim, and also toured the
Regional Emerging Diseases Intervention (REDI) Center, a
joint U.S.-Singapore organization established to monitor,
detect, and respond to existing and emerging diseases that
threaten public health. Public diplomacy events included a
presentation to the American Chamber of Commerce, and a joint
press conference with World Health Organization (WHO)
Director General Lee Jong Wook, who accompanied the Under
Secretary to all meetings. END SUMMARY.

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2. (U) Accompanied by Director General Lee, U/S Dobriansky
made the following points to her broad Singapore audiences
throughout the visit:

-- A pandemic influenza is likely and would entail huge
economic, social and security costs.

-- A global response to this threat is needed.

-- The United States highly values Singapore's contributions
and leadership.

-- Through the IPAPI, the United States wants to work with
our partners to develop an effective global response.

Minister for Health and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs
-------------- --------------


3. (U) The Under Secretary's meetings with the Minister for
Health and Minister for Foreign Affairs centered on the
concern of both governments that an influenza pandemic would
cause severe social, political and economic dislocations in
addition to the loss of life. Minister Khaw recommended that

IPAPI focus on establishing a systematic form of
preparedness, to encourage a network of scientists, doctors,
and public health officials to share information and promote
transparency. He urged that efforts to mitigate the spread
of avian influenza should first focus on implementing
government oversight over farms and wet markets in major
cities in Southeast Asia, because changing traditional
poultry handling practices in rural villages would be a more
difficult, longer-term project. Referring to the 2003 Severe
Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic, he said, "we
learned it is worth spending millions to save billions."


4. (C) Director General Lee said he considered Singapore's
avian influenza pandemic preparedness plan "excellent" --
among the best he had seen. Minister Khaw and Minister Lim
observed that most countries lack preparedness plans or have
plans that do not put enough emphasis on preventing or
slowing outbreaks. Minister Lim elaborated, stating that
Laos, Cambodia, and Indonesia would especially benefit from
international assistance given their poor public health
structure. In response to Minister Lim's question, Director
General Lee said that a lack of reported cases in Burma does
not necessarily mean it has had no outbreaks of avian
influenza. The Under Secretary encouraged regional
engagement to advance influenza dialogue with countries such
as Burma; she noted Secretary Rice's appreciation for the
role the Singapore Foreign Minister had played raising this
issue at the last ASEAN meeting.

The REDI Center
--------------


5. (C) U/S Dobriansky and Director General Lee visited the
REDI Center, a joint U.S.-Singapore bilateral initiative
announced by President Bush and then-Prime Minister Goh Chok
Tong (now Singapore's Senior Minister) at the 2003 APEC
Leaders' Meeting. Staffed by Singapore health officials and
supervised by an interim U.S. director, REDI aims to be a
regional hub for improving the detection of and response to
new and emerging infectious diseases and threats, whether
naturally occurring or man-made. At the REDI Center,
Ministry of Health Deputy Secretary Goh Aik Guan proposed
using REDI to facilitate U.S. presence in the region by its
acting as a satellite public health and research laboratory.
Deputy Secretary Goh said Singapore is prepared to help push
for a rapid-response regional stockpile to be controlled by
the REDI Center -- if the USG would drive the initiative.
Director General Lee commented that the WHO maintains
stockpiles of influenza, polio, and smallpox vaccines, but
advised considering the political implications of deploying
those stockpiles during an outbreak. The Under Secretary
said she would share these proposals with all the relevant
agencies in Washington. Deputy Secretary Goh briefed that,
since officially opening in May 2004, REDI has held or
planned the following training courses: Regional Meeting on
Biosafety and Biosecurity (April 2005); Field Epidemiology
and Training Course (May/June 2005); Pilot Health Emergency
Preparedness Course (September 2005); Laboratory Safety
Course (January 2006); and Lancet Medical Forum (May 2006).

Public Diplomacy
--------------


6. (U) The American Chamber of Commerce hosted a well
attended breakfast talk by U/S Dobriansky and Director
General Lee, who highlighted the economic and social impact
of a potential influenza outbreak and stressed the urgency of
countries' partnering to prevent and mitigate that
occurrence. The audience, consisting mostly of healthcare
practitioners and corporate continuity and risk assessment
advisors, focused their questions on steps being taken to
prevent or reduce the spread of such a pandemic and loss of
labor and markets caused by its disruptions. The Under
Secretary and Director General Lee pointed to a need to

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improve transparency and to stockpile Tamiflu, which has been
effective against the current strain of avian influenza, even
though a mutated virus able to sustain efficient human-human
transmission would undoubtedly differ from the current
strains. Director General Lee pointed out that the influenza
virus attacks in waves, allowing for improvement of the
vaccine between attacks; an imperfect vaccine is better than
none.


7. (U) The Under Secretary's visit concluded with a press
conference. In response to questions, the Under Secretary
pointed to recently widened geographic dispersal of
incidences and the growing number of human cases, underscored
by expert predictions that avian influenza could be the first
major influenza pandemic of this century. But, noted the
Director General, with preparation, the next influenza
pandemic could cause less social, political, and economic
loss than the pandemics of the last century. The Under
Secretary and the Director General also gave a morning

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interview to Straits Times, the leading Singapore
English-language newspaper. Local media gave wide coverage
to U/S Dobriansky's visit (we have forwarded press articles
to the Department).

Participants
--------------


8. (SBU) U/S Dobriansky and her delegation met with the
following officials during her visit:

Ministry of Health (MOH)
-- Minister for Health KHAW Boon Wan
-- Mr. KOH Peng Keng, Senior Director, Operations Group
-- Prof. SATKU (Satkunanantham) Kandiah, Director of Medical
Services
-- A/Prof. CHEW Suok Kai, Deputy Director of Medical Services

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
-- Second Minister for Foreign Affairs Raymond LIM
-- Ms. LEOW Siu Lin, Deputy Director, America's Desk, North
America Branch

REDI Center
-- MOH Deputy Secretary GOH Aik Guan
-- MR. KOH Peng Keng, MOH Senior Director, Operations Group
-- Ms. Meng Har LEE, Acting Director, REDI Center

Her delegation included:

-- Under Secretary Paula Dobriansky
-- Charge' d'Affaires Judith R. Fergin, U.S. Embassy Singapore
-- WHO Director General Lee Jong Woon
-- Dr. Ken Bernard, Advisor to the WHO Director General
-- Dr. Vaughan Turekian, Special Assistant to the Under
Secretary

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-- Dr. Thomas Yun, Regional Medical Officer, U.S. Embassy
Singapore
-- Paul Horowitz, First Secretary Economic Officer, U.S.
Embassy Singapore
-- Qiana Bradford, Second Secretary Economic Officer, U.S.
Embassy Singapore


9. (U) The Under Secretary's party has cleared this message.
FERGIN