NEW HEALTH MINISTER CALLS FOR CONTINUED COOPERATION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASTANA 000353

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

SIPDIS

STATE FOR S/GAC KARINA RAPPOSELLI
USAID FOR E&E/DGST PAUL HOLMES E&E/EA BOB WALLIN GH/HIDN/ID CHERI
VINCENT
DTRA FOR CTB
NSC FOR M.A. HAYWARD

E.O. 12958: N.A.
TAGS: PGOV PREL KHIV PINR CASC TSPL KZ
SUBJECT: NEW HEALTH MINISTER CALLS FOR CONTINUED COOPERATION

REF: ASTANA 2051


1. (SBU) Summary: In his introductory meeting with newly appointed
Minister of Health Anatoliy Dernovoy, the Ambassador reaffirmed that
close cooperation in the health sector remains an important Embassy
priority. Dernovoy reacted positively, stating that he hopes for
continued collaboration. Dernovoy, who replaced Yerbolat Dosayev as
Minister of Health after 76 children in Shymkent were infected with
HIV due to an unsafe blood supply and poor transfusion practices,
said that Kazakhstan is committed to ensuring that its blood centers
meet international standards. The Ambassador informed Dernovoy
that two of the infected children from Shymkent were adopted by
Americans, and that one of the adopting families was criminally
denied necessary information about the health of their child.
Turning to DTRA health-related projects, Minister Dernovoy asked his
staff to help expedite a long-delayed strain transfer. End
summary.


2. (U) The Ambassador, accompanied by Embassy representatives from
USAID, CDC, and DTRA, told newly appointed health minister Anatoliy
Dernovoy during their introductory meeting on October 28 that the
USG values the close relationship it has established with the
Ministry of Health. The Ambassador, noting the excellent
partnership between the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and
Kazakhstan, told Dernovoy that post hoped to get funding to create a
new regional center for disease control in Kazakhstan. Dernovoy
thanked the Ambassador for the USG's long history of support. He
added that he hopes that the cooperation will continue, even if USG
funding decreases.

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HIV/AIDS: Preventing Future Outbreaks
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3. (U) HIV/AIDS was a primary topic of discussion; Dernovoy
replaced Yerbolat Dosayev as Minister of Health after one of
Kazakhstan's worst-ever health tragedies, an HIV/AIDS outbreak in
Shymkent in which 76 children were infected as a result of poor
blood safety and infection control practices (reftel). CDC Director
for Central Asia Michael Favorov summarized CDC efforts in Shymkent.
He told Dernovoy that he is confident that the outbreak has been
localized. According to Favorov, all children in the targeted risk
group have been tested and the rate of new incidence should not
exceed five percent.


4. (SBU) Dernovoy acknowledged that Kazakhstan blood safety and
security practices need to improve. The recent inspection of all
Kazakhstan blood centers has demonstrated that the facilities are in
poor shape and badly equipped, he said. Kazakhstan's 2007-2008
health program, according to Dernovoy, will address these issues in
order to ensure that Kazakhstani blood centers meet international
standards. He also noted that the Ministry of Health will release a
statement affirming that all necessary steps have been taken in
Shymkent to prevent the further spread of HIV/AIDS and that the
deaths of eight HIV-infected children was caused by pre-existing
conditions and not by AIDS.

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HIV-Positive Children Adopted by American Citizens
-------------- --------------


5. (SBU) The Ambassador noted that American citizens have adopted
two of the children infected with HIV. In one of the cases, the
child's infection was not revealed to the adopting parents. They
were instead told that the child was in good health, even though the
child had tested positive for HIV. The Ambassador called the
actions criminal and gave to Minister Dernovoy materials connected
with the case.

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USAID Health Program
--------------


6. (U) Kerry Pelzman, USAID Central Asia Director of Health and
Education, described the role of USAID's ZdravPlus II program in
assisting to develop and implement Kazakhstan's 2004 State Program
for Health Reform and Development. She also highlighted USAID's
support for Kazakhstan's tuberculosis control programs, including
multi-drug resistant tuberculosis. The Ambassador assured Dernovoy
that these projects will remain key priorities for the Embassy,
despite a likely reduction in funding.

ASTANA 00000353 002 OF 002



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DTRA Programs, Strain Transfer
--------------


7. (SBU) The Ambassador then briefed Dernovoy on Defense Threat
Reduction Agency's (DTRA's) heightened focus on health sector
projects. The ambassador pointed out that a plague strain transfer
between the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the
Kazakh Scientific Center for Quarantine and Zoonotic Disease
(KSCQZD) has been long delayed due to a misperception that the U.S.
Government had not performed work under the Biological Threat
Reduction program (BTRP). He said that the USG has taken several
steps to demonstrate its commitment, including the construction of
a laboratory for the Ministry of Agriculture in Astana.


8. (SBU) DTRA Office Chief Laura Smiley also urged the Minister to
help facilitate the strain transfer, noting that the project had
been delayed for two years, and that it was not a DOD program, but a
collaborative effort between the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services and KSCQZD. Anatoliy Belonog (Chief
Sanitary-Epidemiological Doctor for GOK) said that a political
decision regarding specifically export licenses must be made on the
strain transfer and that he would brief the Minister. The
Ambassador reminded Belonog that Minister of Industry and Trade
Vladimir Shkolnik had promised during Senator Lugar's August visit
to facilitate any export license applications that would be
submitted. Dernovoy asked Belonog to expedite the paperwork.


9. (SBU) Smiley informed Dernovoy that the Joint Requirements
Implementation Plan (JRIP) for the BTRP was still awaiting
Kazakhstani government signature. (Note: the JRIP is a non-binding
agreement between USG and GOK acknowledging roles and
responsibilities for the BTRP.) Belonog replied that additional
interagency coordination was required on the 2007 schedule.
Dernovoy instructed Belonog to ensure that an updated plan would be
ready for signature by the time the U.S. BRTP team arrives in
mid-December. Belonog asked Smiley to participate in upcoming
meetings with the interagency working group in November to ensure
that all JRIP edits and comments would be passed to the USG team
before their visit. Smiley mentioned that the U.S. Government was
on track to award several laboratory construction contracts in the
coming months, including Almaty, Uralsk, and Kyzylorda. She asked
that the Ministry of Health expedite its decision regarding the U.S.
Government's request to build a joint veterinary-human
epidemiological monitoring station in Kyzylorda. Minister Dernovoy
asked Belonog brief him on the topic after the meeting.


10. (SBU) Biographical Note: Anatoliy Dernovoy served as Director of
the Presidential Medical Center from 1996 to 2006. He previously
served as Deputy Minister of Health and State Chief Sanitary Doctor
(1994 - 1996) and Chief Sanitary Doctor of Almaty Oblast
(1991-1994). Dernovoy was born in Karaganda in 1951 and holds a PhD
in Medical Sciences from the Karaganda Medical Institute.

ORDWAY