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DENPASAR, Indonesia (AP) - Bird flu has largely flown off the radar of the Western world, but people are still dying from it nearly every week in Indonesia.
Since the first case was reported two years ago, government officials have reported 74 deaths from the H5N1 strain in Indonesia — more than a third of the world's total. And it's not just the virus this nation is battling. It's also struggling to ensure that poor countries get their fair share of any new vaccine developed to stem the spread of a possible global flu epidemic.
Indonesia has refused to share its samples of bird flu virus with the World Health Organization since January. Jakarta fears a vaccine produced from its specimens would be out of reach for its own citizens — too expensive and controlled by wealthy nations.
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