Indonesia Agrees to Send H5N1 Samples
Monday, 19 February, 2007 | 12:03 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari has stated that the government has agreed to send samples of the H5N1 bird flu virus to the World Health Organization (WHO) laboratory as long as the WHO meets the conditions that Indonesia has proposed.

“The mechanism will be prepared within the next few weeks,” said Siti Fadilah at a press conference after discussing with WHO representatives at the Department of Health, Friday (02/16), in Jakarta.

According to Siti Fadilah, the government has rejected virus samples being manipulated for commercial interests.
“Everything must be fair and sensible,” she said.

Siti has explained that the mechanism must arrange the risk and responsibility of both parties, including compensation.

The compensation for Indonesia may take the form of money or technologic transfer.

Indonesia has already refused to send the bird flu virus specimen of H5N1 to the UN's laboratory.

The government was concerned that the vaccine was to be sold to another country and that Indonesia would have to buy the vaccine.

In fact, the government wanted the result of virus diagnosis rather than trade interests.

The WHO, said Siti, has allowed another country to produce the vaccine, especially as regards a virus that could be contagious.

The discussions between the government and the WHO on the virus shipments lasted for five hours on Friday last week (02/16).

WHO's Executive Director for Infectious Diseases Department, David Heymann, said he was glad of Indonesia's willingness to send specimens of the H5N1 virus.

The government's attitude was in line with the provisions of Global Public Health Security.

“We are ready to cooperate with Indonesia for preparing the mechanism,” he said.

PRAMONO