NAMRU2 Issue

[Oracle]

Re: NAMRU2 Issue

<i>Most of those outbreaks start in Southeast Asia, British scientists Derek Smith and Colin Russell reported in a study published this year. That makes it crucial for U.S. researchers to keep working here, the Western scientists said.</i>

Now ain't that jest d*mned interesting?

Seasonal influenza outbreaks and H5N1 avian pandemic influenza originate in the same place....

...ditto for New Castle virus. And dengue fever, too.

http://justice.loyola.edu/~klc/BL472/Dengue/Dengue.history.html

NAMRU and the Indonesian government are perfectly aware that this land is a caldron of emerging disease.

The best defense, is an strong offense. The US knows this: to be shut out when the first set of pandemic cases emerge in Indonesia, Hong Kong or Guangdong, is to open yourself to potential mayhem.

This is why discussion persists, despite opposing philosophical positions on virus sharing and the need for the US Navy Research Labs to be physically present and helping Indonesia sort out infectious disease

[Oracle]

Re: NAMRU2 Issue

Omi is Western Pacific Regional Director for WHO. Indonesia lies within the SE Asian Region jurisdiction. From a quick look at the director's topic priority list, his office isn't handling human H5N1 concerns, other than from a broad pandemic influenza preparation/planning perspective.

I doubt he can or would provide help or post public response to inquiry on NAMRU2-Indonesia policy issues.

[Snowy Owl]

Re: NAMRU2 Issue

The US is doing what it has to do with Namru, they need to protect their scientists. If there is good will, a deal will be reach.

[Oracle]

Re: NAMRU2 Issue

This has NOTHING to do with "protecting their scientists", Snowy.

It has everything to do with:

US past failure to reach accord with Indonesian post-Suharto government (stabilizing period, 2000-2004) after the formal agreement for NAMRU2 operation on Indonesian soil ended. Thus, it's not surprising to note the legacy of Suharto anti-Western feelings among Indonesian government officials. Western governments tread a careful line because Indonesia has also been exceptionally helpful in regional security monitoring and enforcement actions. Thus, Minister Supari spouting hardline Muslim Western government conspiracy theory in her book and interviews is not a major surprise or concern.

Minister Supari hold-out for cash and free drug product guarantees in exchange for isolates.

Indonesia withholding isolates and sequence information so that external science can track local viral evolution / new substrain introduction into Western and Central Java, Sumatra, Bali and Sulawesi.

And more recently, Indonesia bending international agreement rules regarding disease reporting, by slowing human case reporting to WHO and by stifling news agency reporting of human cases. This is her answer to growing global unease over frankly endemic disease in Indonesia and lagging ability of the Indonesian government to control outbreaks in poultry, humans. The Indonesian government has also ignored Indonesian scientist who have reported alarming trends in H5N1 pigs and cats from viral surveys.

Pigs are well known for their mix-master immune system mechanics, one that potentially aides and abets viral adaptation to mammals. H5N1 infection in cats and pigs has been reported in other countries that have problems with apparently endemic H5N1 in poultry. There is substantial concern among those of us who study viral infections that pigs are central to rapid mammalian adaptation of animal viruses (see the Wiki page on Henipavirus/Hendravirus and implicit connection between bats, pigs, humans and horses).

There is also deepening concern over H5N1 misdiagnosis, mis-reporting of local human cluster cases, and inability to culture the virus in Tamiflu-treated patients (resulting in flat denial of obvious influenza infection). These issues permute the actual number of human morbidity and mortality from H5N1.

It does not help matters that other international agencies/governments haven't been trotting out sequence information into the public domain in a timely and transparent fashion.

This is about money. It's about perceived bargaining power of sequence data for vaccine and commercial antiviral agents. It's about international corporate interests mingled with government actions.

This NAMRU issue has astonishingly little to do with 'good will', and everything to do with greed, fear and political posturing necessary to obtain and support biosecurity measures within the South Pacific, a region of growing political unrest and extremist activities and known center for emerging infection disease.

[Commonground]

Re: NAMRU2 Issue

Circulated, Surat People's Representative Council Minta Namru-2 was opened by Kembali

[The link shows a picture of the letter]
Selasa, 14/04/2009

Naval Medical Research Unit (Namru) -2 were still being stopped now by the government because controversial. However, the People's Representative Council (the People's Representative Council) ask for Namru-2 was opened again.

This People's Representative Council request was included from the letter that circulated in the mass media circle. The letter that headed People's Representative Council was numbered PW.01/1173/DPR RI/II/2009 and was aimed at the Foreign Affairs Minister. The letter that was made in February 19 2009 that was signed by Vice Chairman DPR Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno . And ditembuskan to headed by the People's Representative Council, Pimpinan of the Commission of I People's Representative Council, the Health Minister, and RI People's Representative Council Secretary General. His contents stated that the Commission of I People's Representative Council met the Association Pegawai Indonesia Namru -2 on February 5.

In this audience was sent concerning the stopping of the research activity and the activity in the project Namru-2, that had an impact on the development of the research in the health field as well as continuation of the status of the Indonesian civil service of the researcher's staff in Namru-2, was like this the opener paragraph that was included in the letter. Afterwards, the People's Representative Council then ask for to the government about 3 matters. Basically, the People's Representative Council ask for so that the activity Namru-2 was opened, although the agreement or negotiations that were carried out by the government with Namru-2 was going.

Along with the contents of this letter:

Firstly, asked that the government sped up talks MoU Namru-2 with the mutually beneficial principle and closed the gap that contained the damaging potential for the national Indonesian interests.

Secondly, while talks took place so that the activity Namru-2 in the research field/the training of the health continued to be carried out by continuing to make full use of and increase the researcher's Indonesian professionalism.

Thirdly, so that the Government cq the Foreign Affairs Department extended permission remained and worked for the American researchers in Namru-2 until had the other provisions that were produced from talks MoU this.

Beforehand, Namru-2 was frozen by his activity by the government last by mid 2008. Namru-2 was pointed out stole the sample of the bird flu virus strain Indonesia by taking the resident's Indonesian blood that infected without the existence of permission from the authority of the Indonesian health, in this case the Department of Health.

The ease of access was to this resident increased by the position Namru-2 that was directly joined with the Body of Penelitian Dan Pengembangan Department of Health in Street Percetakan Negara, Jakarta Pusat.

Namru-2 also asked for the addition of diplomatic immunity for all of his foreign researchers, although not undertaking the diplomatic mission. In fact, the immune status diplomatic has been obtained headed by Namru-2. The existence Namru-2 below Department of Health RI was also questioned, because in the United States (the USA), the laboratory belonging to the US Navy the identity under the Department of the Defence (Dephan) the USA. The government froze Namru-2 and evaluated him whether being closed or continued. When being continued by the government asked the condition to be more just and mutually beneficial for Namru-2 and RI.

[sharon sanders]

Re: NAMRU2 Issue

Thanks Commonground. Interesting timing since the elections were held last week.