EON

Geneva – World health leaders failed to reach agreement Wednesday on a resolution that would help the smooth and swift development of vaccines to fight the deadly H5N1 strain of the avian or bird flu virus.

The 193 members of the ruling body of the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO), did agree to continue sharing virus samples, but put off a vital decision on how the information would be used for at least another year.

The existing system was derailed six months ago when Indonesia, the country with the highest death toll in the world due to avian flu, withheld samples of bird flu virus. It protested that the system penalized poorer nations as only richer countries would be able to afford the lifesaving vaccines subsequently developed.

The issue was seen as critical for a country where 77 infected people have died, the latest case – a 5-year-old girl – confirmed Wednesday.

The members agreed to set up a working group, to overhaul the entire information and sample sharing procedure to make it fairer and more transparent, that would report back to the next World Health Assembly in a year’s time.

The WHO is also to establish an international stockpile of vaccines for H5N1 or other influenza viruses of pandemic potential.

All countries would now share virus samples said Dr David Heymann, responsible for communicable diseases at the WHO, but added: “If virus samples aren’t shared, the whole world is in danger.”

He also warned again that the “world was not ready for a pandemic.” Production of anti-flu vaccines was limited to 500 million doses a year, far short of that required to vaccinate a world population of more than six billion people.