Indonesia's troubles

Indon. holding up bird flu data

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Aug 2, 2006

A Chirstchurch virologist says international research on bird flu virus is being hampered by Indonesia's refusal to allow public access to information about the disease.

Indonesia has the highest number of confirmed human deaths from the H5N1 strain - along with Vietnam - with 42 deaths in each country.

Indonesia has also had the largest confirmed cluster of cases, with seven people from one family dying in May, after probable human-to-human spread of the virus. And human infections in Indonesia are increasing, with about one a week on average.

A consultant for the World Health Organisation, Lance Jennings, says Indonesia is not sending many samples of the virus to UN laboratories, or letting university and private scientists access the information. He says the clinical material is needed to understand how the virus is mutating.

Jennings says international health regulations that come into effect next year will help improve access to viral data.

Source: RNZ