Indonesia, as usual, presents us with a dilemma. It is one of
the least effective nations in dealing with their bird flu
problem, exhibiting massive incompetence spiced by corruption.
This has helped make them the bird flu epicenter of the world,
with more deaths (by a long way) than any other nation and fast
approaching Vietnam for most number of recorded cases. At the
same time they have raised a legitimate issue: developing
nations like Indonesia provide essential information to WHO on
how to make effective vaccines against circulating influenza
virus strains. WHO in turn shares the information with
pharmaceutical companies who make the vaccines. The resulting
product is too expensive for the Indonesians and others in the
developing world and they can’t compete with rich countries for
purchase of the scarce supply. Current estimates of the world’s
productive capacity for influenza vaccine is about 500,000 doses
a year, while the world’s population is 6 billion. Indonesia’s
population alone (240,000) would