Learning To Share

No! No! You can't have that deadly strain of man-killing virus, it's mine, all mine!

Just who owns a disease?

The Indonesian Government believes it's got ownership over its strain of avian flu and it's upset about a new bird flu vaccine developed by an Australian drug company.

Indonesia's Health Minister, Siti Fadillah Supari has told the ABC that the Indonesian strain of H5N1 is Indonesia's intellectual property, but it's been used by the Australian company, CSL, without Indonesia's permission.

Kids! Stop fighting! I've got it. Indonesia can have one strain of the virus, and Australia can have another strain.

GEOFF THOMPSON: Health Minister Siti Fadillah Supari has told the ABC that the Indonesian Government is developing its own vaccine with the American pharmaceutical company Baxter, and is in the process of applying to protect its intellectual property rights to the Indonesian strain of H5N1.

SITI FADILLAH SUPARI: I never gave permission to send a specimen of a virus to Australia.

GEOFF THOMPSON: And you think that that permission should've been asked for and it should've been granted by you?

SITI FADILLAH SUPARI: I think so. I think so.

No! Stop squabbling! Oh, now look what you've done! You've gone and broken the test tube! Now you're all going to have to share! This is just what happens when you don't behave!