JABAR EKSPRES – The Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo has offered Hokkaido University cooperation in mapping zoonosis – animal diseases transmitted to humans – in Indonesia.
Indonesian Deputy Ambassador to Japan John Tjahjanto Boestami on Tuesday in Tokyo assessed that the cooperation offer was important because of the potential danger of zoonosis that could become a pandemic in the future.
“The Indonesian government attaches great importance to improving human resources in the health sector and mitigating pandemics due to zoonosis in the future,” John said.
In an effort to overcome this risk, the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo proposed a collaboration between Hokkaido University and the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), the Ministry of Health, and the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture to improve understanding and handling of zoonosis.
Through the cooperation offer, he hopes that an effective monitoring and early detection system can be built as well as increasing the capacity of human resources in Indonesia in the health sector.
Previously, a delegation from the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo led by John Boestami, Education and Culture Attaché Yusli Wardiatno and Agriculture Attaché Muhammad Muharram Hidayat, visited Hokkaido University in Japan on Monday (19/6).
During the visit, the delegation was welcomed by Director of International Institute for Zoonosis Control Prof. Ayato Takada, who was accompanied by Head of Molecular Pathology Division Dr. Michihito Sasaki, and Director of Institute for Vaccine Research and Development (HU-IVReD) Prof. Hirofumi Sawa.
Prof. Sawa explained about the results of research that has been carried out in collaboration with the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Bogor Agricultural University about various types of viruses found in several types of animals in Indonesia.
The Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo also visited laboratory facilities at Hokkaido University which has Biosafety Level-2 (BSL-2) and Biosafety Level-3 (BSL-3) laboratories as a center for research and development in the health sector.
