INDONESIA - OCTOBER 12 AVIAN INFLUENZA (AI) UPDATE

UNCLAS JAKARTA 012545 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP/MLS, EAP/IET, MED/DASHO/EMR AND MED DEPT FOR G/AIAG AND OES DEPT PASS TO USDA/FAS/DLP/HWETZEL AND FAS/ICD/LAIDIG DEPT ALSO PASS TO USDA/FAS/FAA/DYOUNG AND USDA/APHIS/ANNELLI DEPT ALSO PASS TO USAID/ANE/CLEMENTS AND GH/CARROLL DEPT ALSO PASS TO HHS/WSTEIGER/ABHAT/MSTLOUIS AND HHS/NIH PARIS FOR FAS/AG MINISTER COUNSELOR BANGKOK FOR APHIS/CARDENAS, RMO, CDC, USAID/RDM/A CANBERRA FOR APHIS/EDWARDS ROME FOR FAO NSC FOR JMELINE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: TBIO AMED CASC EAGR AMGT PGOV ID KFLU SUBJECT: INDONESIA - OCTOBER 12 AVIAN INFLUENZA (AI) UPDATE REF: A) Jakarta 11582 B) Jakarta 12253 ¶1. (SBU) Summary. On October 6, Dr. Ir Anton Apryanto, Minister of Agriculture promised Manho So, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Representative more vigorous coordination and communication in controlling AI. Local press reported on October 10 that faculty from Udayana University detected avian influenza virus in pigs in Bali last July. On October 10, NAMRU-2 confirmed H5N1 virus in a 67 year-old female from Bandung. As of October 12, NAMRU-2 data reflect 70 confirmed cases with 52 fatalities. End Summary. FAO Meets with Minister of Agriculture -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Manho So, FAO Representative to Indonesia met with Dr. Ir Anton Apriyanto, Minister of Agriculture on October 6 to discuss the need for more high level engagement by the Ministry on avian influenza control. According to the FAO, Apriyantono agreed to: --establish a steering committee that would be charged with ensuring that critical issues related to the agricultural response to AI are being addressed effectively. The Minister agreed to chair the committee which would bring together high level Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) staff with FAO and other interested parties. --appoint Jim McGrane (new FAO team leader on AI in Indonesia) as his Special Advisor on AI. This will ensure that FAO will have regular and direct access to the Minister. --hold more press conferences on the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) response to AI to keep the public and international community more fully informed. ¶3. (SBU) Sources additionally report that the MOA will launch a $1 million, 80-day media public relations campaign on AI after the October 24-25 Idul Fitri holiday period. However, it is unclear how effective the campaign will be since the MOA has not done formative research or coordinated the campaign with other stakeholders. In addition, the MOA has no plans to evaluate or analyze the effectiveness of the campaign. Bird Flu Virus Reportedly Found in Pigs in Bali -------------- --- ¶4. (U) On October 10, Indonesian press reported that the H5N1 bird flu virus has infected pigs in Bali. According to the press, a team from the veterinary faculty at Udayana University had discovered avian influenza infected two pigs in the regencies of Gianyar and Tabanan in Bali during their investigations in July. The University team had not yet submitted their official report but had relayed findings to the Ministry of Agriculture. The FAO is investigating this report and will relay their findings to us as soon as possible. The Ministry of Agriculture and Indonesian university researchers have announced positive results for H5N1 antibodies from pig specimens in the past, and NAMRU-2 and the US CDC have previously identified infection in swine from Tangerang. The FAO has informed us that the laboratory capacity for testing pig samples is limited in Indonesia and that false positive results are common. International laboratories have not confirmed the recent swine results. NAMRU-2 Human AI Case Profile -------------- ¶5. (SBU) NAMRU-2 reports one new critically ill case of human H5N1 infection for October, a 67 year-old female from Bandung. The patient had contact with dying poultry. Investigation into the case is continuing. The case is of clinical interest because the patient's signs and symptoms-including renal insufficiency and encephalitis-have not been reported in most previous instances. A secondary infection has not been ruled out. ¶6. (SBU) NAMRU-2 data indicates the following AI-related case profile as of October 12: -- Number of laboratory confirmed (positive PCR and/or serology) human AI cases: 70, of which 52 have been fatal (case fatality rate of 74 percent). -- Number of probable AI cases 3, of which 2 are fatal (case fatality rate of 67%). -- Number of cases awaiting analysis at the U.S. CDC: 2. -- Number of possible untested AI cases under investigation (last 30 days): approximately 31. Note: NAMRU-2 data corresponds with MOH data but may vary at times with AI case figures presented on the official World Health Organization (WHO) website, which usually lags NAMRU-2 data by one week. The WHO website, last updated on October 3, notes 69 human AI cases in Indonesia with 52 deaths. WHO figures can be accessed at www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza. PASCOE