# 2066
According to this article by Helen Branswell, a senior official at the World Health Organization has announced that Indonesia's Health Minister Supari has agreed to resume notifying the WHO in a timely fashion about bird flu cases and fatalities.
Hopefully this is good news.
Although the statement by Dr. David Heymann at the WHO that "the minister will continue - as she has been - notifying WHO . . . " doesn't really inspire a lot of confidence.
Some observers have felt that Indonesia has been very slow, and less than diligent, in reporting human bird flu cases for at least a year, perhaps longer.
As Crof so ably pointed out three days ago in Indonesia: The Penny Drops - Indonesia hasn't filed an OIE report on infected poultry since September of 2006.
Admittedly, Indonesia isn't the only country to fall behind in their reporting, and once a disease becomes `endemic' in a region, the reporting requirements are generally reduced to once every six months.
Additionally, we've seen promises retracted by Health Minister Supari in the past.
How many times has the impasse over the sharing of viral samples been declared solved over the past year?
I've lost count.
Still, in comparison to Supari's previous stance, this would seem a decided improvement. I'm sure it took a good deal of diplomatic skills on the part of the WHO to convince Supari to cooperate.
It will probably take some time before we can adequately assess just how cooperative Indonesia is being.
This report from Helen Branswell of the Canadian Press.
WHO says Indonesia has given assurances it will report bird flu cases
By Helen Branswell, THE CANADIAN PRESS
TORONTO - A senior official of the World Health Organization says the global health agency has been assured Indonesia will continue to report human cases of, and deaths from, H5N1 avian flu as they occur.
The WHO had sought clarification from Indonesia after Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari said last week that her country would in future only report H5N1 deaths sporadically, perhaps at six month intervals.
The suggestion was met with dismay and with warnings that Indonesia would be in violation of the International Health Regulations if Supari carries through on her threat.
That international treaty requires prompt reporting of cases of diseases such as H5N1 that have been designated as global health threats. Indonesia is a signatory to the treaty.
"We've received official notice at our WHO office in Jakarta that the minister will continue - as she has been - notifying WHO on confirmed infections under the International Health Regulations," Dr. David Heymann, assistant director general for health security and environment, said from Geneva.
"She's been clear ... that she has no intention of not conforming to the International Health Regulations. She knows what they are. She's been told what those regulations require."
