INDONESIA - KEY DONORS MEETING ON AI CONTROL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 002560 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP/MTS, G/AIAG AND OES USAID FOR ANE/CLEMENTS AND GH/CARROLL DEPT ALSO PASS TO HHS/WSTEIGER/ABDOO/MSTLOUIS AND HHS/NIH GENEVA FOR WHO/HOHMAN USDA/FAS/OSTA BRANT, ROSENBLUM USDA/APHIS ANNELLI E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: TBIO AMED CASC EAGR AMGT PGOV ID SUBJECT: INDONESIA - KEY DONORS MEETING ON AI CONTROL REF: A) Jakarta 02182 B) Jakarta 02333 ¶1. (SBU) Summary. During a key donors meeting in Bali on September 11-12, Chief Executive of the Indonesian National Committee for Avian Influenza and Pandemic Preparedness (KOMNAS) Bayu Krisnamurthi stated that Indonesia needs around $300 million per year to fight avian influenza (AI). Donors pledged new funding and greater coordination to KOMNAS at the meeting. Three Ministers attended the gathering, indicating increased political commitment to fighting AI from the Government of Indonesia (GOI). Minister of Health Siti Fadilah Supari announced final testing and imminent distribution of a rapid test to confirm human H5N1 infection. UN Systems Coordinator for AI David Nabarro urged immediate action to reduce the prevalence of the AI virus in poultry in Indonesia and to resume open sharing of information and biological materials. Nabarro called Ambassador Hume on September 13 to share views and concerns about the AI problem in animals and humans. End Summary. -------------- AI State Funds Down, But Total GOI Funding Up -------------- ¶2. (U) Indoneia hosted a key donors meeting for Avian Influenzain Bali on September 11-12. In a sign of growin GOI concern regarding the issue, Coordinating Miister for People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie, Minser of Health( Fadilah Supari, and Minister of Ariculture Anton Apriyanto attended the meeting, making the first time three GOI ministers attendedthe same AI meeting. KOMNAS Chief Executive BayuKrisnamurthi reported, on the sidelines of the gthering, that Indonesia needs $300 million per yea to control AI. For 20007-2008, the GOI has commtted $52.9 million in state funds while internatonal donors are contributing $68.4 million. Althouh the state's budget decreased from last year, ttal GOI spending for AI actually increased when aatoring in funding for diisaster management and improved i(u ance se rvice.. Bayu stated that the GOI is using this year'sf"unding to finance six elements of AI control: uublic communications, restructuring of the poultry industry, integrated disease surveillance in animals and humans, virus elimination at the source in poultry, health facilities and the establishment of pandemic preparedness measures. -------------- Embassy Announces New Funding -------------- ¶3. (U) The Embassy announced $25 million in new USAID funding to fight AI. USAID will use the new assistance to expand existing AI programs. These programs focus on integrated animal and human surveillance, AI control in poultry, and behavior change communications. USAID directs approximately 75% of its funding for AI toward the animal health sector. -------------- -------------- UN Claims AI Endemic in Poultry, Urges Sample Sharing -------------- -------------- ¶4. (SBU) UN Systems Coordinator David Nabarro asserted that AI among poultry is now endemic to Indonesia. According to the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) reports, Indonesia had over 1,950 AI poultry outbreaks during the first two quarters of 2007. This compares to only 454 total outbreaks for all of 2006. Experts attribute the significant increase to both improved surveillance and a failure to cull infected birds. Culling currently occurs in only one third of outbreaks. Experts believe that urgent strengthening of AI control in poultry is vital to the prevention of future human cases of AI. ¶5. (SBU) UN Systems Coordinator David Nabarro recognized the GOI for improved political commitment to the issue but also emphasized the critical importance of open sharing of AI information and biological materials. In addition, Nabarro urged the GOI to improve behavior change communication, and to strengthen the leadership capacity of KOMNAS. We understand that Nabarro, in private conversations with Ministers Bakrie and Supari, also directly urged the GOI to resume JAKARTA 00002560 002 OF 002 fully sample sharing. -------------- -------------- Minister Announces Imminent Availability of Rapid Test -------------- -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Minister Supari announced the imminent availability of a rapid test to confirm AI in humans. Supari noted that the Ministry of Health (MOH) was completing control trials and will distribute these tests to all hospitals and possibly local clinics, as early as next week. When queried, Dr. Nyoman Kandun, Head of Indonesian Centers for Disease Control indicated that he was unaware of the kit distribution program. Supari did not state whether these kits are licensed. Experts note that the rapid test is likely to be less sensitive than the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) confirmation currently used by the GOI. However, if experts validated the rapid test and local healthcare providers used the test appropriately, the kits could be a useful tool for improving early identification of human cases. -------------- Nabarro Checks In With Embassy -------------- ¶7. (SBU) On September 12, Nabarro called Ambassador Hume to discuss views from the meeting. Nabarro noted the seriousness of the AI poultry problem, indicating that it may take five years to get this problem under control. Nabarro mentioned that, during a side meeting with Supari, she said she had a solution for sample sharing (NFI),a human vaccine ready for use, and the rapid diagnostic test. Nabarro said the Indonesian plans were inadequate. He thanked the USG for its efforts to improve the situation. HUME