AVIAN INFLUENZA -- BALI OUTBREAKS UPDATE

UNCLAS SURABAYA 000031 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP/MTS, G/AIAG, AND OES USAID FOR ANE/CLEMENTS AND GH/CARROLL DEPT ALSO PASS TO HHS/WSTEIGER/MSTLOUIS AND HHS/NIH GENEVA FOR AHO/HOHMAN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: TBIO AMED CASC EAGR AMGT PGOV ID SUBJECT: AVIAN INFLUENZA -- BALI OUTBREAKS UPDATE REF: JAKARTA 2333 AND PREVIOUS This message is Senstive but Unclassified. Please protect accordingly. ¶1. (SBU) During an August 24 courtesy call by the Principal Officer, the Governor of Bali Dewa Made Beratha stressed that local government and health officials were taking proactive measures to restrict the spread of Avian Influenza (AI) on the island. The Governor admitted that Balinese officials had become complacent after four years without a human infection and had made a major mistake by not compelling local residents to cull their infected flocks. He added that local residents were so scared by the confirmed deaths of two people from AI that they were now culling their flocks without government instruction. The Governor said that culling had occurred in 80 villages in areas where AI in birds had been reported. ¶2. (SBU) The Governor expressed concern that government efforts to control the spread through culling, regular applications of disinfectant, education of the population, training of medical personnel, and poultry import limitations would be undermined by smuggling from neighboring Lombok and East Java. Officials don't have the capacity to stop these operations. The Governor said that Bali had received assistance from the central government and international community, in particular Japan, over the past four years in the form of vaccines, disinfectant and compensation funds for poultry farmers. He reiterated that the recent deaths were an anomaly. ¶3. (SBU) Local tourism officials and hotel general managers noted that reports of AI deaths in Bali were not having an impact on tourism, having occurred in regions outside the major tourist destinations. The general managers cautioned that a case of Avian Influenza within the tourist community could have a detrimental impact on rebounding tourism figures. One GM relayed unconfirmed reports that the victim from the Tabanan District (reftel) was married to an employee at one of the major hotel chains. According to the Tourism office, 5,823 Americans (direct foreign arrivals) traveled to Bali in July 2007, putting American travel on track to reach over 50,000 visitors in CY2007, a return to pre-bombing levels. The Australian Consul General told PO that the Australian Government and media were watching the situation carefully, but the Consulate had received few inquiries from tourists. MCCLELLAND