U.S. Health Chief Says Indonesia Still Withholds Flu Samples
This article was originally published in PharmAsia News
Executive Summary
The U.S. health secretary accused Indonesia of continuing to withhold samples of its strains of the bird flu virus, endangering the global fight against the disease. Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt said during a visit to Vietnam that as a result of Indonesia's actions, "the world will be slightly less safe." Leavitt had met with Indonesia's president and health minister in Jakarta earlier as part of his Southeast Asia trip. Indonesia has insisted on guarantees poor nations would retain the rights to vaccines that result from samples sent to the World Health Organization for study. (Click here for more