In light of the importance of virus monitoring for pandemic influenza preparedness and response, Indonesia's refusal to share samples of H5N1 virus with the World Health Organization (WHO) for most of 2007 is distressing and potentially dangerous for global public health. Negotiations with Indonesia to resume rapid and open virus sharing have proved difficult, with Indonesia repeatedly refusing to share unless significant changes were made to allow it greater access to vaccine derived from samples it shared with WHO [10].

Even though Indonesia resumed some virus sharing with WHO in the second week of September 2007 [11], the fundamental dispute is not resolved. Indonesia's willingness to continue virus sharing may depend on the outcome of intergovernmental negotiations in Geneva in November 2007 [12]. At present, prospects for overcoming the central disagreements do not appear good. We would like to suggest a way to break the root causes of the impasse, by taking a novel strategic approach to pandemic control and bringing new partners to the pandemic action table.