April 17, 2008

Indonesia bird flu policy seen to raise global risks

The world is less safe because Indonesia is withholding samples of the bird flu virus from the international community, US Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt said Wednesday.

Leavitt told The Associated Press that refusal of Indonesia to cooperate with the World Health Organization's long-standing virus-sharing system without compensation is disappointing.

Leavitt, on a Southeast Asian trip this week to promote food safety, met with Indonesia's president and health minister in Jakarta before making stops in Singapore and Vietnam.

Indonesia has withheld nearly all of its bird flu samples from WHO since January 2007, arguing that poor countries should retain the rights to any vaccines made from their viruses.

Leavitt said both sides agreed to work toward finding a solution within the next two months. Otherwise, the US will move on and concentrate its efforts elsewhere, he said.

Scientists say it is crucial to receive fresh bird flu specimens to ensure the virus is not mutating into a form that could easily spread among people, potentially sparking a pandemic that might kill millions worldwide.

In addition to bird flu, Leavitt is also pushing for countries to tighten standards on food and other goods shipped to the US.

He said the US Food and Drug Administration plans to open an office in China following a number of cases in which contaminated or adulterated Chinese products imported by the US were recalled after killing or sickening people and animals.

Leavitt said he hopes a similar office will eventually be set up in India.