FAO in Indonesia

FAO ECTAD Indonesia

Since 2005 Indonesia has been one of the global epicentres for human H5N1 avian influenza infections with more human cases and fatalities than any other country until 2014. Since the first detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus in Indonesia in 2003, the disease has caused the deaths of millions of poultry in 32 of the country’s 34 provinces, disrupting the livelihoods of large numbers of people dependent on poultry-keeping.

WHY FAO ECTAD?

The persistent HPAI threat to animal and human health in Indonesia brought the FAO Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD) to Indonesia in 2006. With funding from USAID, AusAID and the Japan Trust Fund, FAO ECTAD has been working closely with the Ministry of Agriculture to enhance its capacity and ability to sustainably control HPAI.  Over the past 10 years, ECTAD Indonesia has empowered around 3,000 animal health officers in 32 provinces, implementing the Avian Influenza Control Programme at village level, in the commercial poultry industry and along the poultry market chain. 

In addition, ECTAD Indonesia has since 2011 implemented four projects on rabies control along with the Government, with the main focus on controlling the disease in the islands of Bali and Flores.

10 YEARS LATER: EMERGING PANDEMIC THREATS 2 PROGRAMME

Today, marking 10 years of partnership between FAO ECTAD and the Government of Indonesia, we are moving in a new direction to tackle not only avian influenza, but also new or re-emerging global health threats which “spill over” into humans from animal populations, including Ebola, MERS-CoV, SARS and Zika. Building upon the success and foundation of the previous avian influenza-focused programme and continuing our collaborative efforts with the Ministry of Agriculture-Directorate General of Livestock and Animal Health Services (DGLAHS), we launched in 2016 the new Emerging Pandemic Threats Programme (EPT2) with funding from USAID. Together with our partners, we are committed to supporting and enhancing the Indonesian government even better in preventing, detecting, and responding to new or re-emerging diseases of animal origin.