According to a statement received from the House of Representatives (DPR) here on Tuesday, he underlined that Indonesia's support for the IHR amendment is reflected by the completion of Law Number 17 of 2023 concerning Health and its derivative rules.
"Indonesia supports the IHR amendment proposed in 2024. Indonesia has also completed its Health Law and its derivative regulations, which can meet the standards set by the IHR," he said in Bangkok on Monday.
He was in Bangkok to attend the Regional Conference for Parliaments of the Asia-Pacific Region on Global Health Security.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the IHR was established to prevent, protect against, control, and provide a public health response to the international spread of diseases.
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Airlangga said that countries in the Asia-Pacific region must set up a defense system in the health sector to deal with pandemics in the future through the implementation of IHR.
He also underlined the importance of a pandemic preparedness fund for countries in the Asia-Pacific.
"The pandemic preparedness fund for the region can also be considered," he said.
Countries in the Asia-Pacific can also share information and data related to the genetic sequence of any pathogen that is spreading based on the mRNA platform, he suggested.
From this information and data, he said, countries in the region can map antigen components and develop vaccines faster.
"This could help predict the development and spread of the virus over time," he explained.
Airlangga also encouraged independent production of mRNA vaccines in the Asia-Pacific region.
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Translator: Tri A, Kenzu
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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