AVIAN INFLUENZA CONTROL
OVERVIEW
Photo: USAID Indonesia
February 2013
Listening and understanding farmer needs to
ensure ownership and sustainability of
biosecurity program in poultry farms and market
chains in effort to control AI
THE CHALLENGE
The H5N1 avian influenza virus has
infected over 566 people (332 were
fatal, CFR 56.8%) in 15 countries
since 2003, as well as poultry in 60
countries. Health experts believe it
could mutate into a form that is
transmissible between humans and
trigger a global pandemic
threatening the lives of millions of
people.
Indonesia has the world’s highest
number of confirmed human
infections with H5N1 (192 cases as
of January 16, 2013, of which 160
resulted in death), and is uniquely
vulnerable to the threat of ongoing
outbreaks and the emergence of a
pandemic strain due to high human
population and poultry densities, and
traditionally close contact between
people and poultry.
THE GOAL
Reduce the likelihood that a human
influenza pandemic will emerge by:
Preventing H5N1 transmission
among poultry
Minimizing human exposure
The U.S. Government is the largest donor supporting Indonesia’s efforts to control Highly
Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1) and USAID plays a key role. USAID supports efforts
to reduce the impact of H5N1 in Indonesia on animals and humans and to limit
emergence of an influenza pandemic. Since 2005, USAID has provided $120 million to
support Avian and Influenza Pandemic (API) control and prevention in Indonesia.
Indonesia is uniquely vulnerable to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) and the
emergence of new influenza viruses due to its large population, high poultry density, and
the close interaction of poultry with humans. Routine HPAI outbreaks in poultry still occur,
particularly during rainy season, and mainly across Java, Sumatra, South Sulawesi, Bali,
and sporadically elsewhere. The introduce of a new clade of H5N1 in Indonesia has
increased outbreaks in poultry and particularly in the duck population.
Avian influenza will be a long term epidemic in Indonesia, so there is a need to develop a
sustainable program which helps to strengthen animal and human health systems to
better track, control, and respond to influenza outbreaks and other emerging zoonotic
diseases which have pandemic potential. USAID activities focus enhancing GOI capacity
for integrated animal and human surveillance, cleaning and disinfection of markets,
improved biosecurity at farms, strengthening standards of care and health seeking
behaviors, and identifying and changing risky behaviors.
PROGRAMS
Supporting GOI in Sustainable Animal Surveillance and Response
A major investment has been made by USAID to build capacity at Ministry of Agriculture
(MOA) and local government livestock services through the Participatory Disease
Surveillance and Response (PDSR) system which provides district level veterinarians
with skills to rapidly detection and respond to AI outbreaks. GOI is adopting the PDSR
system into the National Veterinary Services (NVS). Support has been provided to
improve the cold chain system and management to support effective poultry vaccination.
Long term training for animal health and public health officers to earn a Master’s degree
in epidemiology and infectious diseases has continues with 16 graduates to date. USAID
continues to assist the GOI, in collaboration with other donors, to coordinate, synergize,
review and evaluate all programs on API prevention and control to maximize program
impact.
Health Surveillance
USAID is building capacity with the Ministry of Health (MOH) to integrate human and
animal surveillance, and to strengthen the health system to control acute respiratory
infections (ARI) response through a program channeled and assisted by the World
Health Organization (WHO). Through WHO, support is provided to strengthen District
Surveillance Officers (DSO) to improve survival outcomes by improving timely suspect
case detection following an animal outbreak notification and to respond to diseases
identified through the early warning and response System (EWARs). Support is being
provided to the National Influenza Center to strengthen laboratory and logistics
management to ensure continuous surveillance for Influenza Like Illness (ILI) and Severe
Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI). Health system strengthening efforts will ensure that
health centers and hospitals are appropriately equipped and can provide adequate
standards of care for ILI and SARI. Through a new program Strategies Against Flu
Emergence Program (SAFE), efforts are underway to better understand health seeking
behaviors and health provider practices regarding influenza.
Poultry Commercial Farm, Market Chains Intervention, and Empowerment
Consumers on Demanding Poultry Health Products
FAO provides technical assistance to high-risk farms to improve biosecurity and good
farming practices (GFP), and to unite commercial poultry producers for better control of
CONTINUES >
Photo: SAFE Program
AVIAN INFLUENZA CONTROL
Introducing healthy market initiatives to local
market stakeholders and engaging civil
society organization to empower community
(house wives) to select healthy poultry
products will reduce the risk AI virus
transmission from market to their family.
CONTACT INFORMATION
jakarta-info@usaid.gov
PRESS AND OUTREACH
Janice Laurente
Outreach & Communication
Officer
USAID/Indonesia Program
Office
Tel: (021) 3435-9424
jlaurente@usaid.gov
http://indonesia.usaid.gov
AI. FAO, in collaboration with GOI, has also established PVUK (Commercial Poultry
Veterinary Health Program) which builds on the community engagement foundation of
the PDSR program to improve government outreach to small-scale commercial poultry
farmers. Contributing to the GOI Healthy Market Program, FAO has established cleaning
and disinfection capacity and market surveillance in critical points of poultry market
chains in DKI Jakarta to reduce transmission of AI. The SAFE Program has engaged
local government and relevant stakeholders on healthy market initiatives to improve the
live bird market conditions with a holistic approach. SAFE has engaged, Aisyiyah, the
biggest women civil society organization in Indonesia, to empower community, house
wife, to demand healthy poultry product that will reduce the risk the disease transmission
to their family. Aisyiyah has adopted this initiative in all their branches across Indonesia.
SAFE has assisted the commercial poultry sector farms to implement and manage
biosecurity and GFP to prevent the spread of AI. Teaching Farms have been established
to provide model teaching center to learn about good farming and biosecurity practices to
build capacity of small scale commercial farmers and students.
Research
In collaboration with GOI, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE)/FAO Networks
of Expertise on Animal Influenza’s, OFFLU project , USAID has strengthened capacity
the Ministry of Agriculture’s laboratory and research centers to characterize AI viruses to
improve poultry vaccines. This has resulted in new and improved vaccines being
developed locally. Additionally in response to a new clade of H5N1, Indonesia has been
able to readily start production of an appropriate vaccine. USAID also supports CDC in
collaboration with Ministry of Health (MOH) in conducting research program on
strengthen AI surveillance in certain high risk areas in Jakarta. Through support of
USAID’s University Partnership Program, the University of Colorado and University of
Padjajaran Bandung, will conduct research to investigate the role of the animal human
interface in influenza virus infection. The results of this research will establish a system
for active surveillance and delineate the role of human-poultry interactions in the viral
transmission.
Main Accomplishments
 Since 2006, the PDSR program conducted over 265,000 surveillance visits and reported over
11,700 outbreaks of AI in the participating districts. PDSR system on rapid surveillance and
response has been adopted and integrated into the Indonesian National Veterinary Services.
 The Petugas Veteriner Unggas Komersial (PVUK) program built local government and commercial
poultry farmer partnerships,
 USAID programs are actively engaged with key poultry associations and poultry companies
representing over a one billion chicken production market per year.
 Healthy market initiatives and community empowerment to increase demand for healthy poultry
products have been established in 20 locations in 10 districts province of West Java and Banten,
and are now being extended in other districts with the local stakeholders funding.
 Teaching Farms (TF), in 12 locations in province West Java and Banten have been established to
engage poultry commercial farms, universities, and vocational school. On average around 200250 farmers and students come to the teaching farms. Private poultry businesses have adapted
this model and are building their own TFs
 In collaboration with US-CDC, USAID supports the Indonesian MOH for laboratory logistic
management system improvement of National Institute of Health Research and Development
(NIHRD) which will strengthen the National Influenza Center (NIC). USAID also provides logistic
support to a project to Harmonizing Virological and Epidemiological Influenza Surveillance in East
Jakarta Project conducted by Subdit Zoonosis, MOH.
 Improvement on the care for Acute Respiratory Infections, an Integrated Management of
Childhood Illness (IMCI) video was developed and an operational research project will compare
traditional IMCI training to video training, which reduces the time needed for training.
 Routine Live Bird Market surveillance is active in the high risk areas of DKI Jakarta to examine the
amount of AI virus and to help understand transmission and effectiveness of cleaning efforts.