: "Archive Archive Number 20051011.2956
Published Date 11-OCT-2005
Subject PRO/AH> Avian influenza - Asia (41): Indonesia, poultry vaccines


AVIAN INFLUENZA - ASIA (41): INDONESIA, POULTRY VACCINES
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A ProMED-mail post

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International Society for Infectious Diseases


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Journal of Hospital Infection


Date: Mon 10 Oct 2005
From: ProMED-mail
Source: Agence France-Presse via news.com.au, 10 Oct 2005
[edited]



Corruption sparks bird flu vaccine test
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Indonesia would run tests on its stock of bird flu vaccine
after a corruption scandal involving production of
sub-standard doses, an official said today [10 Oct 2005].
Government auditors suspect local companies assigned to make
the vaccine produced doses of inferior quality to inflate
profits, with the collusion of some ministry officials.

The disease has killed at least 3 Indonesians and 59 others
elsewhere in South East Asia since 2003.

The agriculture ministry's director for animal health,
Syamsul Bahri, said his office would test vaccine now in
stock or in circulation to determine whether it met minimum
specifications. "Our laboratory capacity is limited, so we
will gradually test samples and decide which vaccine can
continue to be used and which (will) have to be withdrawn
from circulation," Mr Bahri said. He could not immediately
estimate the number of samples involved or the time needed
for all of the necessary tests.

Ministry spokesman Suprahtomo said the suspected corruption
case was now in the hands of state prosecutors, and the
ministry would abide by whatever decision was made.

Yesterday [9 Oct 2005], agriculture minister April
Aprijantono said there were 9 suspected corruption cases
involving his ministry last year [2004] totaling 733 billion
rupiah (USD 96.2 million) in lost funds for the ministry,
including the bird flu case, which cost 56.9 billion rupiah
(USD 5.64 million). "This not only caused losses to the
state in material form, it also reduced the effectiveness of
vaccines or led to low vaccine protection levels,"
Aprijantono said. The minister said some testing conducted
in Java last year [2004] showed the vaccine's protection
level was only about 11.8 to 28 per cent.

Zainal Baharuddin, inspector general at the ministry, has
said local producers intentionally lowered the vaccine
quality to make more profits from the contract. He said
farmers across the country had also complained they had not
received compensation for culling flocks because officials
had embezzled the money.

Health officials have said that since the 1st human case of
bird flu infection was found in June 2005 in Indonesia, 85
people had been admitted to the hospital with suspected or
confirmed infections. The main hospital treating suspected
cases was due later today [10 Oct 2005] to discharge 6
children and one adult after tests showed they did not have
the virus, doctor Ilham Patu said. After they leave,
Sulianti Saroso hospital will have 8 patients under
observation for suspected bird flu. Dr Patu said no new
suspected cases had been admitted in the past 2 days.

--
ProMED-mail


[According to the last follow-up report of Indonesia to the
OIE, dated 2 Aug 2005, there had not been any outbreaks of
avian influenza with clinical signs in Tangerang district --
where fatal cases in humans were reported -- since April
2005. It will be interesting to note whether the current
reported suspicion, related to deficient poultry vaccines,
is based upon clinical observations. One might wonder
whether the suspicions are related to last week's
information (20051005.2905) on the Indonesian health
authorities' discovery of asymptomatic chickens which tested
positive for the H5N1 bird flu virus. One of the suggested
explanations to this finding was immunity of the tested
chickens to H5N1, conferred by an heterologous H5 virus
(vaccine strain?!). Further explanations will be welcomed. -
Mod.AS]