Pilot Project on the Control of Avian Influenza in Indonesia

03 Mar 2006

Officials from Singapore, Indonesia, the United States, The World Bank, World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) met in Singapore on 3 March 2006.

The meeting was a follow up on the decision reached by the President of the Republic of Indonesia Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the President of the United States of America George W Bush, and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong at the sidelines of the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Busan, Korea in November 2005. The three Leaders had agreed that Indonesia, the United States, and Singapore would work together with the international organizations like the WHO, FAO, OIE, and the World Bank on a pilot project for the control of avian influenza in Indonesia. It was agreed that the project can be undertaken in a defined, localised area in Indonesia to implement Indonesia's national strategies to control avian influenza. Based on this experience, the control measures that are effective can then be replicated in other parts of Indonesia. 

Since the agreement by the leaders, the officials have met several times to work out the implementation details. Based on the preliminary discussions between Singapore and Indonesian officials, Indonesia has prepared a proposal for the pilot project. The draft project paper was tabled for discussion with the other partners involved in the project.

At the meeting, the partners discussed the details of the project, including the scope, project site, timeframe and activities, roles and responsibilities of the partners, and the project budget.

The pilot project aims to achieve the following objectives in the control of avian influenza:

• To translate Indonesia's national plan for the control of avian influenza (premised on WHO/FAO/OIE recommendations) in a defined, localized geographical area.

• To determine and reduce the prevalence of H5N1 avian influenza in this area by testing out how recommended approaches work on-the-ground.

• To apply experiences and lessons learnt in other areas.

• To strengthen local capability and capacity.

The scope of the project covers the following components, based on the integrated national strategies for avian influenza control in the Indonesian national plan:

• Disease control in animal

• Case management in humans

• Protection of high risk groups

• Epidemiological surveillance in humans and animals

• Restructuring of the poultry industry system

• Risk communication, information, and public awareness

• Law enforcement

• Capacity building

• Research and development

• Monitoring and evaluation

Indonesia will lead the project in its management, providing on-site manpower, financial, and infrastructure support. The other partners may be involved in providing financial assistance and technical expertise. The estimated total cost of the entire project is about US$4.5 million.

The meeting agreed to implement the project in Tangerang Municipality, Banten Province, Java. The area covers 200 sq km with a population of 1.5 million. Upon successful implementation and with the lessons learned, the project could be quickly adjusted and expanded to Tangerang district to draw further lessons before replicating the project throughout Indonesia. 

The meeting agreed to implement the project in three phases, namely the preparation phase, implementation phase, and evaluation phase, to be carried out over three years. The meeting agreed that the project should begin immediately with the preparatory phase. For this purpose, a working group comprising officials from related ministries and local government in Indonesia, as well as other parties concerned will meet this month to start work on the project, including site surveys, data collection, and further development of the detailed implementation plans.