AVIAN INFLUENZA SAMPLE SHARING UPDATE

UNCLAS JAKARTA 000567 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP/MTS, G/AIAG AND OES DEPT 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 E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: TBIO AMED CASC EAGR AMGT PGOV ID SUBJECT: AVIAN INFLUENZA SAMPLE SHARING UPDATE REF: A) Jakarta 00504 B) Jakarta 00310 and others ¶1. (SBU) Summary. Jakarta World Health Organization Representative (WHO) Georg Peterson told us on February 28 that Minister of Health Fadillah Supari and WHO Director Margaret Chan had agreed during a telephone call the previous evening that the Ministry of Health (MOH) would immediately resume sharing samples upon receipt of a WHO letter that assures sample use for global health risk assessment purposes only and not commercial purposes. Peterson said he expects WHO/Geneva will send the letter on February 28. According to Peterson, Chan also agreed that WHO will commit to "serious review" of Indonesia's concerns about equitable access to affordable vaccines for developing countries. Peterson said he participated in a February 23 planning session for the proposed Jakarta regional sample sharing meeting with officials from the MOH and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (DEPLU),but noted participants were unable to reach consensus on the format or outcomes for the sample sharing meeting. Meanwhile on February 27, NAMRU-2 received a copy of a February 14 MOH letter sent to Avian Influenza referral hospitals forbidding sharing of specimens with other institutions without consent of the Minister of Health. End Summary. WHO-MOH Agreements During Phone Call -------------- ¶2. (SBU) According to WHO Representative Georg Peterson, Dr. Chan and Minister Supari agreed during a February 27 phone call that the MOH will immediately begin sharing samples upon receipt of a letter from Chan assuring that samples will be used for "global health risk assessment purposes" only and not commercial purposes. Chan promised to send the letter on February 28 when WHO Geneva opens its office. According to Peterson, Supari also added the condition (and Chan agreed) that WHO would commit to serious study and discussion of Indonesian concerns about equitable access to affordable vaccines for developing countries. Peterson said he learned of the Supari-Chan conversation from MOH sources, but that David Heymann, Assistant Director General of the WHO for Communicable Diseases, later confirmed the information. Planning for March 27-28 Sample Sharing Meeting -------------- --- ¶3. (SBU) Peterson also reported that he participated in a February 23 Government of Indonesia (GOI) planning meeting with officials from DEPLU and MOH. Meeting attendees debated, but reached no consensus on, whether the proposed sample sharing meeting would be considered a WHO meeting hosted by the GOI or whether it should be a GOI sponsored regional diplomatic meeting. Attendees also could not agree on whether the meeting would take place at the ministerial or sub-ministerial level, and what the desired outcomes would be. ¶4. (SBU) According to Peterson, the GOI has proposed to the WHO that the meeting occur on March 27-28. March 27 would be for senior officials to hammer out a joint statement and March 28 would be to announce the statement and answer questions. The WHO has asked GOI to hold off on final preparations for the meeting until WHO provides input on agenda and hoped for outcomes. Peterson also said he had learned that President Yudhoyono's office is following the issue closely. MOH Releases February 14 Restrictive Letter -------------- ¶5. (SBU) NAMRU-2 received a copy of a MOH letter dated February 14 to avian influenza referral hospitals instructing them to send all specimens directly to NIHRD and not to share any specimens with other institutions without consent from the Minister of Health. A referring hospital provided NAMRU-2 with a copy of the letter while handing over specimens. NAMRU-2 continues to receive samples from the majority of hospitals participating in its network but worries that more may begin to follow the MOH restriction. ¶6. (SBU) Comment: The GOI is not known for its careful advance planning, and we are not surprised that it has not yet thought through the purpose and outcomes of the proposed sample sharing meeting. We will follow up on the issue with Deplu to see how best the U.S. can influence the process. HEFFERN