Bird flu has recently become a hot topic on Asian medical news outlets. A localized threat that has afflicted a fair few victims, the mysterious nature of bird flu and its unexplained development has scientists all over the world worrying about the future manifestation and scope of this virus.

An Indonesian boy contracted bird flu and died eight days later on July 9 th , 2007. Only six years old, he died after being treated for four days at a hospital in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta . Many aspects of bird flu and how it spreads remain a mystery to health officials worldwide. This boy, the most recent victim of this puzzling disease, brings the known death toll from bird flu in Indonesia to 81.

Since being discovered in 2003, bird flu has infected more than 300 humans and killed 192 people worldwide. More than 40% of the casualties have been in Indonesia , a startling statistic that forces the Indonesian government to confront this threat and the weakness that it reveals in the national health care infrastructure.

Several aspects make this disease particularly troublesome. While it is difficult to contract the virus, once it is caught, bird flu mutates rapidly and can spread between humans more easily. This has scary implications that might lead to a global pandemic with a steep number of casualties.

Anxious to get more information about bird flu, the World Health Organization (WHO) has asked Indonesia to provide samples of the bird flu virus for study. Efforts to discover more about the cause and prevention of bird flu reflect the concern that bird flu could evolve to be an international threat. When, on August 6 th , 2007, Indonesian officials delivered three bird flu samples to the WHO, the examiners found that the thread of the disease that they provided was not usable, as they needed the “live” virus for comprehensive study. The failure to provide useful samples has repercussions not just for Indonesia, where bird flu remains to be a very real health scare, but for the rest of the world as well, since there is no way to tell how or when bird flu could evolve into a global concern.

Indonesia has been cooperating with the WHO for almost as long as bird flu has been a recognized virus. However, Indonesia withdrew its sample contributions at the beginning of 2007 in protest of what Indonesian officials perceived as misuse of the samples for “commercial purposes.” The fear was that large pharmaceutical companies would focus on developing treatment that would be too expensive to use in a developing nation like Indonesia . After being assured that the vaccines developed would not be too pricey, Indonesia resumed cooperation with the WHO in May, 2007 following an agreement reached at the 60 th World Health Assembly.

Indonesian cooperation was contingent upon new international standards of virus sharing, in which countries that provide workable virus samples will be rewarded for their help within the global health system. The samples, which are invaluable to understanding the development of the virus, may help scientists understand how the virus will change to more easily afflict humans. The bird flu virus may also be developing protection against the drugs that treat it.

A key aspect of the 60 th World Health Assembly agreement was the need for a stockpile of bird flu vaccine reserved for developing countries, namely Indonesia and Thailand . Production is slow, however, and supply of the medication is woefully lower than the demand.

Bird flu is just one of many illnesses that can be contracted in the tropical climate of Southeast Asia . If you are an expatriate living in or traveling to Indonesia , it is very imported to be well-informed of the medical conditions you might encounter. Visit a physician before any holiday and find out all the necessary vaccines. Be sure that you know where the reputable health care facilities are located and take protective measures against bug bites or severe weather, as these could bring about or worsen your condition.

In case of emergency, our website has provided lists of hospitals and embassies in Indonesia for your reference. To make sure that you are safe during your travels, get an international medical insurance plan that will cover you during your time abroad. Having the security of reliable insurance coverage will allow you to enjoy yourself while you are away from home.

To learn more about how international medical insurance can help keep you safe, contact our expert advisors.