WHO Supports Indonesia's plan to build "WHO Influenza Collaborating Center"

WHO Supports Wake RI Cooperation Center Flu

Tuesday, 19/01/2010 15:29 WIB

Geneva - World Health Organization (WHO) to support Indonesia's plan to build the WHO collaboration center for influenza research. Indonesia is expected to have a capacity for risk assessment for potential pandemic such as bird flu and swine flu.

This cooperation center will be named the WHO Influenza Collaborating Center. WHO Director General Margaret Chan insists the WHO will provide assistance to Indonesia to realize such cooperation center.

"I support the Indonesian initiative to establish the WHO Influenza Collaborating Center in Indonesia," Chan said in a meeting with Health Minister Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih on the sidelines of the meeting of Executive Board-126 WHO in Geneva, Switzerland, Monday (18/1/2010) yesterday .

According to the First Secretary of the Permanent Representative of Indonesia in Geneva Acep Somantri, WHO also supported the construction of the WHO Collaborating Center for disaster management in Indonesia. We have disaster management center was built in 9 regions in Indonesia.

"Director General of WHO praises Indonesia's capacity in disaster management so that they can become training centers for other countries," he said in a release Acep to AFP, Tuesday (19/1/2010).

In addition to meeting with Chan, Minister also met with Minister of India and Brunei Darussalam to strengthen the bilateral health cooperation. Endang was also selected as one of the Vice Chairman of the WHO Executive Board along with South Korea, Oman and Paraguay.

(fay / iy)