I

mproving surveillance and scientific research will enable Indonesia to cope with the threat of the avian influenza virus (H5N1), the Health Ministry says.

Health Minister Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih said on Tuesday that as of Sept. 1, there had been seven confirmed cases of H5N1 infections in humans this year in Indonesia, adding that there had been more cases in birds.

“The avian flu virus tends to cause losses among livestock since it can mutate faster in animals than in humans,” Endang told journalists after the inaugural ceremony of a three day table-top exercise on global health security held by the ministry and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Despite the low rate of human infection, she said the disease was still a threat because the virus frequently mutated.

“We should keep on guard against the possibility of a mutation into a new H5N1 virus subtype that could infect humans,” Endang said.

To cope with the virus threats, the government is improving the BSL-3 Laboratory at the Health Ministry’s Research and Development Unit. The BSL-3 Laboratory has the capacity to contain agents that may cause serious or lethal diseases as a result of contact or inhalation. The laboratory is able to sequence viruses both from animals and humans.

The government is allocating Rp 2 billion (US$232,000) for the development of the laboratory.

“We still need more funds especially for research activities since the allocated budget can cover only the running of the laboratory,” Endang said.

Indonesia and other global communities are now facing various challenges related to the spread of various microorganisms that cause emerging communicable diseases. From 2002-2003, Indonesia experienced an outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), followed by an H5N1 influenza pandemic in 2009.

The experience in tackling the SARS pandemic led to the adoption of the 2005 International Health Regulation (IHR) at the 58th World Health Assembly (WHA).

It mandated that countries increase their capacity to detect and respond to public health risks to meet international standards.

Keiji Fukuda, the WHO’s assistant director general for health security and environment, said pandemic influenza was one of the most important examples of health security dangers. However, he added, there were many other infectious diseases and health risks as well.

He cited the recent tsunami and ensuing radiation threat in Japan as an example.

Fukuda said that all sectors should contribute and work together in a coordinated way to address such health risks due to their huge impacts on health, economy and social communities.

Countries and organizations, he said, should work on planning and be well-prepared, so once something happened, they would know what they were going to do.

“If the next virus is very severe, we will see more illnesses and a pandemic. We should be well-prepared,” he said.

Indonesia, he said, had also recently played an important role in the passage of Resolution WHA 64.5 on Preparedness against Influenza Pandemic: Sharing Viruses and Vaccines and other Benefits.

The resolution outlines approaches on how to share viruses and vaccines and other benefits.

Leon Chang, director of corporate security and business continuity at Deutsche Bank AG’s Asia-Pacific head office, said pandemic preparedness was important for Deutsche Bank not just in Asia but also globally.

“It’s important for us to have pandemic plans in place. With the plans, we can look after our people, so people have confidence to come to work. The financial sector will collapse if they don’t have confidence to come to work,” Chang told the Post.