May 3, 2006

Indonesia has not received bird flu fund

Indonesia has not received any of the US$1.9 billion pledged to it to fight bird flu at an international donors conference in China three months ago, a state official said Tuesday (May 2).

"We are still waiting for the money that was pledged in Beijing," said Welfare Minister Aburizal Bakrie, adding that Indonesia will need US$900 million over the next three years.

"Up until now, not a single cent has gone to Indonesia."

Earlier Tuesday, the World Health Organization said it believes a bird flu pandemic can still be prevented if authorities are ready to implement rapid containment measures--from the large-scale distribution of anti-viral drugs to the closure of schools.

WHO's regional director, Dr Shigeru Omi, told reporters in Jakarta that if such interventions are successful "we may prevent hundreds of millions of serious human infections and millions of deaths".

"But if we fail, the consequences for societies, economies and global health could be immeasurable," he said, as Asia kick-started its own badly needed stockpile of Tamiflu, one of the few drugs believed to be effective in treating the disease.