There are hopes the scourge of tuberculosis - the world's most infectious disease - can be halted across the region with a vaccine breakthrough by Australian and Indonesian scientists.
Tuberculosis surpassed HIV as the most deadly infectious disease globally in 2014, according to the World Health Organisation.
The current vaccine is given to infants and protects children up until the age of 15.
But as people get older the infection can reactivate in their lungs.
In Indonesia there were 320,000 reported tuberculosis cases in 2014 while Australia had more than 1000.
Researchers from the University of Sydney and Indonesia's Universitas Gadjah Mada have identified two proteins in the disease's bacteria that have induced protection against tuberculosis in mice.
In the next six months they will start testing 40 patients and 40 non-sufferers in Yogyakarta.
Professor Warwick Britton told AAP if all goes well with testing a vaccine could be three to four years away from a pilot study.
High rates of the disease in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea are putting Australia's biosecurity at risk.
"We will never be able to control tuberculosis in Australia unless more work is done to control tuberculosis in the region," he said.
* Thursday marks World Tuberculosis Day.
What is tuberculosis?
- A bacteria that affects the lungs.
- Spread through the air via coughing and sneezing.
- Symptoms include coughing, fever, night sweats and weight loss.
- The symptoms may be mild for months which can lead to delays in seeking care, and allow the bacteria to be transmitted to others.
- Curable, but without proper treatment up to two-thirds of those with the disease will die.
- Each year nine million people fall ill and 1.5 million die worldwide.
- More than 95 per cent of deaths occur in low and middle-income countries.
(Source: World Health Organisation)
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