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US accused of manipulating profiting from bird flu { February 21 2008 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)    http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/us-dismisses-bird-flu-claims/2008/02/20/1203467183624.html http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/us-dismisses-bird-flu-claims/2008/02/20/1203467183624.html US dismisses bird flu claims Mark Forbes Herald Correspondent in Jakarta February 21, 2008 THE United States has rejected the Indonesian Health Minister's claims that it is using bird flu samples to produce biological weapons and World Health Organisation officials have condemned allegations of conspiring to profit from bird flu vaccines. The Indonesian President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, is understood to have ordered the minister, Siti Fadilah Supari, to recall copies of her book on avian influenza, which alleges the US and the WHO are conspiring against developing countries by seizing control of bird flu samples. WHO officials said they were dismayed by some of the claims and urged Dr Supari to do more to control bird flu's spread and end her refusal to share virus samples - which is hampering attempts to find a cure. At a news conference yesterday Dr Yudhoyono said Indonesia was willing to resume sharing bird flu virus samples if a fair and equitable agreement was reached. "There is a misunderstanding among foreign nations that Indonesia won't co-operate, as if Indonesia won't share … but concrete co-operation has to be based on fairness." A US State Department spokeswoman, Susan Stahl, denied Dr Supari's claim that Indonesian virus samples had been sent to a biological weapons laboratory in Los Alamos. The laboratory possessed no bird flu viruses from Indonesia or elsewhere, she said. The facility's only involvement was hosting a database of publicly available genetic-sequencing data to help track the evolution of the virus, she said. Dr Supari yesterday continued to say that virus samples had been sent via the WHO to the laboratory in Los Alamos. "Whether they use it to make vaccine or develop chemical weapons would depend on the need and interest of the US Government. It is indeed a very dangerous situation for the destiny of humanity." The WHO's assistant director-general for Health Security, David Heymann, said he was puzzled by the claims. "I don't understand why they would take this virus to make a biological weapon; it doesn't transmit from human to human. Indonesia needs to spend more time on dealing with infections with chickens and stopping humans from being infected." He said Dr Supari had opened up the important issue of improving access to vaccines. The director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Influenza in Melbourne, Anne Kelso, said she was saddened by the accusations and the organisation monitored how the virus was changing. "We don't personally profit in any way from that work," she said.

Bird flu could push world into recession Bird flu could take 142m lives says study { February 16 2006 } Bird flu kills younger people like 1918 pandemic Bird flu surfaces in delaware Canada scare over non lethal avian flu Cdc may ship killer virus to research labs China confirms three new bird flu outbreaks Europeans neurotic about bird flu Experts dismiss scare over bird flu { November 1 2005 } Govt issues disrupted bird flu guidlines { February 1 2007 } Human bird flu spreads in turkey { January 9 2006 } Researchers confuse sars and bird flu Rumsfeld makes bank off bird flu paranoia { October 31 2005 } US accused of manipulating profiting from bird flu { February 21 2008 } White house push bird flu readiness { December 10 2005 } Files Listed: 15

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