March 14, 2007

Indonesia refuses to share bird flu samples with WHO; seeks assurance

Indonesia will not share bird flu samples with the World Health Organization without a legally binding agreement promising the virus won't be used to develop an expensive commercial vaccine, the health minister said Tuesday (Mar 13).

Siti Fadilah Supari, digging her heels in following a weeks-long standoff with the global body, said a letter of guarantee from WHO's director general, Margaret Chan, late last month was not good enough.

"We will not share the virus before there is a Material Transfer Agreement," she told reporters, adding that she hoped one would be drafted during a bird flu meeting in Jakarta in late March between Asia Pacific health leaders and WHO.