INDONESIA - NON-REPORTING OF AVIAN INFLUENZA AND

UNCLAS JAKARTA 000477 SIPDIS UNCLASSIFIED DEPT FOR EAP/MTS, G/OES/IHA/AIAG, EAP/EX USAID FOR ANE/CLEMENTS AND GH/CARROLL DEPT ALSO PASS TO HHS FOR ACTING SECRETARY GENEVA FOR WHO/HOHMAN USDA/FAS/OSTA BRANT, ROSENBLUM USDA/APHIS ANNELLI E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: TBIO EAGR AMGT PGOV ID KFLU SUBJECT: INDONESIA - NON-REPORTING OF AVIAN INFLUENZA AND INTERNATIONAL HEALTH REGULATIONS Ref: Jakarta 398 ¶1. (SBU) This is an action request. Please see paragraph 4. ¶2. (SBU) Indonesia has not officially confirmed any cases of human H5N1 infection since January 22, 2009, despite numerous reports of human avian influenza cases. ONE March 3 press report quoted Bayu Krisnamurthi, Chief Executive of the National Committee for Avian Influenza Control and Pandemic Preparedness, announcing four AI cases in Bogor, West Java, and Surabaya. In addition, Embassy contacts at ONE of two laboratories capable of confirming H5N1 cases (please protect) state that they have had seventeen samples test positive this year. Neither the Ministry of HEALTH (MOH) nor the World HEALTH Organization (WHO) publicly reported these cases. Our sources could not confirm how many of these 17 cases were reported to the WHO. ¶3. (SBU) In a March 12 meeting, WHO country office (WRO) staff stated that the Ministry of HEALTH is reporting H5N1 cases to them on a timely basis (they did not confirm how many cases). WRO staff added, however, that they have an agreement with the Ministry of Health not to share the information with other Member States until the Ministry of HEALTH publicly announces the cases. Furthermore, WRO staff noted that the WHO does not consider H5N1 case reports to be Public HEALTH Events of International Concern (PHEICs) subject to mandatory public announcement under International HEALTH Regulations (IHR). ¶4. (SBU) ACTION REQUEST: Embassy Jakarta believes that the international community requires timely, reliable, and precise reporting of H5N1 within the IHR to respond appropriately to H5N1 events and to provide an accurate barometer of the scope and location of the problem. Post recommends that the Department work with other WHO Member States and the WHO Secretariat to clarify whether a human H5N1 case is a PHEIC in order to ensure consistent and correct reporting of new avian influenza cases. HUME