April 11, 2006

Indonesia seeking funds to buy vaccines against bird flu

Indonesia's plan to carry out a nationwide poultry vaccination drive against bird flu next month has been bogged down by a lack of vaccines, a senior government official said Monday (Apr 11).

Plans for two rounds of a massive vaccination campaign in May and June have been put on hold due to a shortage of vaccines, Agriculture Ministry head of bird flu emergency response Delima Hasri Azahari said. The vaccination effort would have targeted mostly backyard and small-farm poultry, she said.

600 million doses of vaccines were needed to vaccinate the 300 million birds in the country, but the state budget only allows for one-fifth of the required doses. If the shortage was not addressed immediately, the vaccination drive would not be effective, Delima said.

The available funds may allow poultry in high-priority regions where bird flu is more serious to be vaccinated first. Nine provinces across Indonesia where there were multiple cases of bird flu would fall into this category.

However, such measures would not be as effective as simultaneous vaccination of all poultry, she said. The H5N1 virus has killed 24 of 32 confirmed human bird flu patients. It has also killed or forced the culling of millions of birds.

Indonesian officials would discuss the issue Tuesday (Apr 11) with World Bank chief Paul Wolfowitz.  However, the governement is also encouraging the private sector to come forward to help, Delima said.

Businesses were actually eager to help fight bird flu, since a pandemic could cost companies billions in losses, according to a spokesman from the Indonesian Employers Association.

However, high operating costs are hindering the private sector from setting aside money for bird flu prevention, he said.