September 14, 2006

Misuse of vaccines hurting Indonesia's anti bird flu effort

Improper vaccinations of Indonesia's poultry population is causing the spread of the deadly H5N1 avian influenza virus, the Jakarta Post reported Thursday (Sep 14).

Substandard vaccines and slipshod vaccination programme monitoring is allowing H5N1 to continue to circulate in the country's poultry population, the report said, citing Santoso Soeroso, the director of Sulianti Saroso Hospital, Indonesia's main bird flu treatment centre.

Indonesia has recorded 49 human bird flu deaths out of 65 cases since July 2005, the world's highest number of fatalities.