US embassy cable - 05TAIPEI3742

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TAIPEI 003742 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/RSP/TC 
STATE PLEASE PASS TO AIT/W 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/06/2015 
TAGS: AMED, CASC, SENV, TBIO, TW, ESTH 
SUBJECT: TAIWAN AFFIRMS PREPARING FOR AVIAN INFLUENZA A TOP 
PRIORITY 
 
REF: A) 2005 STATE 15149 B) 2005 TAIPEI 03598 
 
Classified By: AIT Acting Director David Keegan for Reasons 1.4 (b and 
d) 
 
1. (U) Following up on delivery of ref A demarche, AIT Acting 
Director also delivered the demarche to Executive Yuan (EY) 
Secretary General Lee Ying-yuan and National Security Council 
 
SIPDIS 
(NSC) Secretary General Chiou I-jen on September 2.  ADIR 
thanked Lee and Chiou for making Avian Influenza (AI) a top 
priority and encouraged Taiwan to continue its efforts to 
prepare for a potential AI pandemic.  Lee and Chiou took this 
opportunity to express great sympathy for the plight caused 
by Hurricane Katrina. 
 
BUREAUCRACY ENGAGED ON AI 
------------------------ 
 
2. (U) Both Lee and Chiou were well-briefed about avian 
influenza and the steps that Taiwan has taken to address the 
issue.  Lee, with a background in public health (including a 
Phd in Public Health from Harvard), said "We are serious" 
about preparing for the worst.  Armed with printouts of 
presentations prepared for President Chen Shui-bian, Lee 
displayed a thorough knowledge of Taiwan's preparations, 
flipping through the presentations to point out facts and 
figures.  He provided AIT with copies of the presentations. 
Lee said that there have been many, many meetings involving 
relevant agencies, including the Department of Health, the 
Council of Agriculture, the Taiwan Centers for Disease 
Control and the Executive Yuan.  Both Lee and Chiou noted 
President Chen Shui-bian's determination to put into practice 
all of the lessons learned during the SARS outbreak in 2003 
in an effort to avert a crisis in Taiwan.  Both of them said 
that Taiwan is convinced that confronting an Avian Influenza 
outbreak is a matter of "when" not "if."  Septel reports in 
depth on the steps that Taiwan is taking to prepare for a 
potential AI outbreak. 
 
MEDICAL RESPONSE 
---------------- 
 
3. (C) Taiwan announced over a year ago that it is intent on 
developing a local vaccine research and production 
capability.  The threat of a pandemic has encouraged Taiwan 
to step up its efforts in this area.  Both Lee and Chiou said 
that Taiwan is making research and development of both a 
vaccine and anti-viral drugs a top priority with the hope 
that Taiwan would be prepared to protect its people in the 
event of an outbreak.  Taiwan has already stocked doses of 
the anti-viral drug oseltamavir, but, according to Lee, hopes 
to be able to produce its own medications in the near term. 
Lee and Chiou told us that prominent scientists in the field 
have been designated to manage Taiwan's research efforts and 
supplied with significant funding.  While Taiwan publicly 
estimates that it will take between five and seven years to 
develop an AI vaccine, Lee hinted that Taiwan has already 
figured out the formula for copying the anti-viral 
oseltamavir, identified potential production facilities, and 
would be prepared to institute emergency powers to override 
any intellectual property concerns and produce it in the 
event of an AI pandemic. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
4. (C) While we have no way to assess Taiwan's ability to 
move quickly to large-scale production of an anti-viral 
medication, the insinuation that Taiwan has figured out the 
formula for oseltamivir and thought about instituting 
emergency powers to produce it in the event of an AI outbreak 
was unmistakable.  That begs the question of how far along 
the process of production Taiwan has already gone. 
KEEGAN