WHO Feathers Ruffled Over Bird Flu Vaccine

Jakarta's plan was confirmed this week, prompting the WHO to express ''concern.'' Indonesia wants to work in tandem with the U.S.-based Baxter Healthcare to develop a vaccine to inoculate its nationals from bird flu and secure additional benefits that would emerge from such treatment.

This route towards a vaccine is expected to rattle the prevailing global system to identify strains of flu for developing new vaccines. It was a system designed by the Geneva-based health agency with the backing of its 193 members and had been sustained through a spirit of cooperation.

''Indonesia has tossed the latest salvo into a debate that has been simmering under the surface for a long time,'' says Basil Rodriques, regional immunisation officer for the East Asia and Pacific division of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). ''It is an issue of relevance that the world needs to come to grips with.''