TAIWAN AFFIRMS PREPARING FOR AVIAN INFLUENZA A TOP

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TAIPEI 003742

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EAP/RSP/TC
STATE PLEASE PASS TO AIT/W

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/06/2015
TAGS: AMED CASC SENV TBIO TW ESTH
SUBJECT: TAIWAN AFFIRMS PREPARING FOR AVIAN INFLUENZA A TOP
PRIORITY

REF: A) 2005 STATE 15149 B) 2005 TAIPEI 03598

Classified By: AIT Acting Director David Keegan for Reasons 1.4 (b and
d)


1. (U) Following up on delivery of ref A demarche, AIT Acting
Director also delivered the demarche to Executive Yuan (EY)
Secretary General Lee Ying-yuan and National Security Council

SIPDIS
(NSC) Secretary General Chiou I-jen on September 2. ADIR
thanked Lee and Chiou for making Avian Influenza (AI) a top
priority and encouraged Taiwan to continue its efforts to
prepare for a potential AI pandemic. Lee and Chiou took this
opportunity to express great sympathy for the plight caused
by Hurricane Katrina.

BUREAUCRACY ENGAGED ON AI
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2. (U) Both Lee and Chiou were well-briefed about avian
influenza and the steps that Taiwan has taken to address the
issue. Lee, with a background in public health (including a
Phd in Public Health from Harvard),said "We are serious"
about preparing for the worst. Armed with printouts of
presentations prepared for President Chen Shui-bian, Lee
displayed a thorough knowledge of Taiwan's preparations,
flipping through the presentations to point out facts and
figures. He provided AIT with copies of the presentations.
Lee said that there have been many, many meetings involving
relevant agencies, including the Department of Health, the
Council of Agriculture, the Taiwan Centers for Disease
Control and the Executive Yuan. Both Lee and Chiou noted
President Chen Shui-bian's determination to put into practice
all of the lessons learned during the SARS outbreak in 2003
in an effort to avert a crisis in Taiwan. Both of them said
that Taiwan is convinced that confronting an Avian Influenza
outbreak is a matter of "when" not "if." Septel reports in
depth on the steps that Taiwan is taking to prepare for a
potential AI outbreak.

MEDICAL RESPONSE
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3. (C) Taiwan announced over a year ago that it is intent on
developing a local vaccine research and production
capability. The threat of a pandemic has encouraged Taiwan
to step up its efforts in this area. Both Lee and Chiou said
that Taiwan is making research and development of both a
vaccine and anti-viral drugs a top priority with the hope
that Taiwan would be prepared to protect its people in the
event of an outbreak. Taiwan has already stocked doses of
the anti-viral drug oseltamavir, but, according to Lee, hopes
to be able to produce its own medications in the near term.
Lee and Chiou told us that prominent scientists in the field
have been designated to manage Taiwan's research efforts and
supplied with significant funding. While Taiwan publicly
estimates that it will take between five and seven years to
develop an AI vaccine, Lee hinted that Taiwan has already
figured out the formula for copying the anti-viral
oseltamavir, identified potential production facilities, and
would be prepared to institute emergency powers to override
any intellectual property concerns and produce it in the
event of an AI pandemic.

COMMENT
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4. (C) While we have no way to assess Taiwan's ability to
move quickly to large-scale production of an anti-viral
medication, the insinuation that Taiwan has figured out the
formula for oseltamivir and thought about instituting
emergency powers to produce it in the event of an AI outbreak
was unmistakable. That begs the question of how far along
the process of production Taiwan has already gone.
KEEGAN