China vaccine spark controversy
Sari P. Setiogi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The government's decision to allow the importation of avian influenza (AI) vaccine from China has sparked controversy in the poultry industry amid worries that the vaccine, reportedly still uncertified by international health agencies, could give rise to new diseases.
Askam, a senior researcher at PT Charoen Pokphand Indonesia, a subsidiary of Thai poultry giant Charoen Pokphand, said vaccines produced in the country would be better than imported ones, as they were developed from samples of diseases found locally.
"I could not comment on vaccines from China, because we have never tried them," he told The Jakarta Post.
His statement followed reports that Bio Farma, a state-owned vaccine producer, had started importing vaccine to contain the bird flu outbreak in the country. The government has confirmed that bird flu, which has killed about 4.7 million chickens nationwide, is of the H5N1 strain.
The H5N1 is the only strain of bird flu known to be fatal to humans.
"The H5N1 strain mutates rapidly, particularly in cold weather. During the rainy season, it could mutate more quickly into another strain. Imported H5N1 vaccines might no longer be effective (against any locally mutated strains) once they arrive," he said.
Charoen Pokphand produces day-old chicken (DOC), poultry feed and chicken meat in Indonesia, while it outsources breeding to farmers across the country.
Chairman of the Indonesian Poultry Breeders Association Anton J. Supit, however, hailed Bio Farma's move, saying importing vaccine from China was an active measure to prevent the disease from causing more damage to the poultry industry.
He said China-made vaccines were cheap and could be delivered quickly to the country.
"Although it is not yet a member of the OIE (International Animal Health Organization), China is known to be able to produce effective and cheap vaccines," said Anton, who is an executive at poultry company PT Sierad Produce, Tbk.
"Other ASEAN countries have also procured H5N1 vaccines from China. So why should we make a fuss about it?" he said.
Anton said that following the outbreak of bird flu several months ago, some local farmers bought Chinese-made vaccines and had helped contain the disease in their areas.
Meanwhile, a veterinary researcher at the Bogor Institute of Agriculture, Marten Malone, warned that since the Chinese-made vaccines were not yet certified by international agencies, their efficacy remained unproven. Worse, the vaccines could bring in new diseases rather than help containing the current bird flu outbreak.
Veterinary community health director at the Ministry of Agriculture Bachtiar Moerad said the ministry had permitted Bio Farma to import vaccines from a company in China, which was believed to produce efficacious vaccines.
The ministry has sent a delegation to visit the firm's production facilities.
"However, Bio Farma can also import from other suppliers, such as those in Europe and the United States," he said.
Bio Farma is the only company authorized to import bird flu vaccines. Pusat Veterinaria Farma in Surabaya, PT. Vaksindo Satwa Nusantara in Bogor and PT Medion in Bandung have been appointed to produce the vaccine domestically.
The government has allocated Rp 212 billion in vaccination and compensation for small farmers whose poultry will be destroyed as part of a mass-culling program.