Indonesia convenes conference to combat avian (bird) flu

Voice of America News out of Jakarta is reporting that Indonesia is in the process of
running a conference dedicated to the avian (bird) flu, H5N1.  According to the report,
"Indonesia has the second-highest number of human cases, 51 of the H5N1 virus. Only
Vietnam, with 93 cases and 42 deaths, has more."  However, the authors of the report are
quick to note that, while Vietnam has been able to contain the virus effectively, without
having experienced a single new case this year, the incidence rate is still rising in
Indonesia.

Many of the reports designed to "disprove" the threat of the H5N1 strain of the virus
focus on human-human transmission and the threat to first-world countries in Europe and
in North America.  While some amount of focus should be placed on these threats, because
the possibility is still open for a viral mutation, there are areas of the world, like
Indonesia, where the culling of birds has a tremendous economic toll, and where the
virus, even in its current state, is problematic.  Furthermore, "Indonesia has seen cases
in which the virus may have spread from person to person. The WHO's Gully says, however,
it does not appear that the virus has changed significantly."

This appears to be one of the primary battlegrounds in the war against the H5N1 strain. 
They need funding, they need a plan, and they need to contain the virus.