Exercise on Antiviral Stockpile for ASEAN Countries to Contain Outbreak of Pandemic Influenza

March 30, 2007

1. On April 2 (Mon) and 3 (Tue), the Government of Japan, together with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the ASEAN Secretariat, will conduct an exercise on swiftly delivering stockpiled personal protective equipment (PPE) and antivirals provided from Japan to the ASEAN countries.

2. In order to contain pandemic influenza, it is extremely important to deliver stockpiled PPE and antivirals immediately to the site of an outbreak and administered them to patients and residents of that region. For that reason, consultations have been taken, mainly led by the WHO, to ensure the effectiveness of the exercise. Preparations have now been made, and the first exercise has now been arranged to be conducted early next week. For the upcoming exercise, it will be assumed that pandemic influenza has broken out in Cambodia, and a simulation will be carried out to see whether the stockpiles held in Singapore are delivered promptly.

3. At the Japan-ASEAN Summit Meeting held in December 2005, then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi announced that Japan would provide a stockpile comprising Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for 700,000 persons and antiviral drugs for 500,000 persons to contain pandemic influenza. In accordance with that announcement, Japan conducted a handing over ceremony of the stockpile in May 2006. Hence, PPE for 700,000 persons and antivirals for 500,000 persons to prepare against an outbreak of pandemic influenza have been stored in Singapore since then.

4. Containing pandemic influenza is an urgent challenge facing the entire East Asian region, and the Government of Japan intends to cooperate proactively in the future.

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