Bird Flu kills three in Indonesia
Jakarta (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Three new deaths due to Bird Flu were announced today by the Indonesian Health ministry. Meanwhile yesterday the government reached a deal with the World Health organisation to provide fresh samples of the virus.
The latest victims are a 22-year-old woman who died on March 24th in Southern Sumatra, followed by a 15-year-old boy on the 25th in West Java and a 40-year-old man today in East Java. Their deaths bring the death toll from avian flu in the country to 69. The diseases is now considered endemic in the country, where the population continue to keep poultry in their backyards.
Meanwhile yesterday Indonesia struck a deal with the WHO to resume sample supply of the virus. The WHO said that it will develop "terms of reference" on sharing viruses and any sharing outside those rules, including for vaccine development by drug companies, would require the consent of countries from where the virus originated. In December Jakarta refused to share samples of the virus unless it had guarantees they would not be used commercially by the companies to enrich themselves to the detriment of the worlds poor. The announcement was made during a meeting between representatives from over 30 countries gathered in Jakarta to discuss the disease. The WHO has consistently maintained that in order to combat the disease they had to be allowed access to study samples, while Indonesia and other developing nations, such as Thailand, maintained that their priority was access to vaccines at a reasonable price. The Indonesian Minister for Health affirmed that the deal “will be formalized in a meeting with the WHO in June” but the country will resume sample supplies to the world body immediately.
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17/08/2004
