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May 05, 2008

A bigger threat than Bird Flu

Sitifadilah Indonesian Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari is about to cause the biggest problem we face against bird flu.  Early Detection.  Supari has decided that she will not share samples with the World Health Organization.  This is obviously a real problem.  Consider the most recent outbreaks in that region and how silence on outbreaks and sample verification can put not only that region in danger but basically the world.  All because Supari has decided she will not share.  There are basically "132 confirmed cases of human H5N1 virus infection with 107 deaths in Indonesia. This represents 35 percent of known cases of this deadly virus worldwide." as reported by Jakarta News.  Her motiviations for doing this seem highly suspect.  I believe her eagerness to obtain anti-US support and muslim support has overshadowed common sense.  However, WHO has remained largely quiet over this issue for some reason.  Supari claims big bad U.S. producers of any antiviral/vaccine would be sold to her country at a higher price, thus cementing her reason not to make the samples available.  While it is true that major pharmaceutical companies do stand to make large gains (profitable), it seems unfair to not share samples during a time when the disease is limited to fowl. 

The question becomes is Indonesia "putting the world in danger of a global pandemic by not supporting the international effort to find vaccines, and effectively leaving the virus to run wild?"  A very good question.

Posted at 10:50 AM |

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