# 5500
For the past 4 years the World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health of Indonesia have been at an impasse over the sharing of H5N1 virus samples from that bird flu beleaguered nation.
Now, after several false starts over the past few years, it appears that a resolution may be at hand.
Here is the WHO press release on the framework for virus sharing and the equitable access to affordable vaccines (for Indonesia, and the rest of the developing world).
I’ve only reproduced a portion of the announcement, follow the link to read it in its entirety.
Landmark agreement improves global preparedness for influenza pandemics
News release
17 April 2011 | Geneva - After a week of negotiations continued through Friday night and into Saturday morning, an open-ended working-group meeting of Member States successfully agreed upon a framework to ensure that in a pandemic, influenza virus samples will be shared with partners who need the information to take steps to protect public health.
The working-group meeting was convened under the authority of the World Health Assembly and coordinated by WHO.
The new framework includes certain binding legal regimes for WHO, national influenza laboratories around the world and industry partners in both developed and developing countries that will strengthen how the world responds more effectively with the next flu pandemic.
By making sure that the roles and obligations among key players are better established than in the past - including through the use of contracts - the framework will help increase and expedite access to essential vaccines, antivirals and diagnostic kits, especially for lower-income countries.
In addition, the framework will also put the world in a better position for seasonal influenza and potential pandemic threats such as the H5N1 virus, because some key activities will begin before the next pandemic, such as greater support for strengthening laboratories and surveillance, and partnership contributions from the industry.
During an influenza outbreak, knowing the exact makeup of the virus is critical for monitoring the spread of the disease, for knowing the potential of the virus to cause a pandemic and for creating the life-saving vaccines as well as other technological benefits. However, developing countries often have limited access to these vaccines for several reasons.
- They often do not have their own manufacturing capacity.
- Global supplies can be limited when there is a surge in demand as is seen during pandemics.
- Vaccines can often be priced out of the reach of some countries.
The new framework will help ensure more equitable access to affordable vaccines and at the same time, also guarantee the flow of virus samples into the WHO system so that the critical information and analyses needed to assess public health risks and develop vaccines are available.
