Southeast Asian health ministers to meet on swine flu

Philstar
http://www.philstar.com

April 30, 2009

BANGKOK (AP) – Health ministers from Southeast Asian countries will meet, probably in early May in the Thai capital, to discuss how to deal with the swine flu crisis, the head of area's regional grouping said Wednesday.

Surin Pitsuwan, the secretary-general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said the ministers "should get together at the earliest time possible," according to a press release from the group.

None of ASEAN's 10 member countries have yet confirmed any cases of swine flu, but scores of tests were being carried out on anyone reporting flu symptoms. South Korea was awaiting final test results in a "probable" case, and New Zealand has confirmed 14 infections — the first in the Asia-Pacific region — all in people recently returned from Mexico.

"The Thai Ministry of Public Health has expressed its readiness to host the meeting in Bangkok most probably in early May," Surin was quoted saying after he held consultations with Thailand and the Philippines. The announcement said the Philippines would chair the meeting.

Cambodia's prime minister earlier Wednesday had called for an emergency meeting of ASEAN members to discuss how to tackle the outbreak.

"We need common measures to prevent and fight against the fast spread of swine flu," Prime Minister Hun Sen said. "Southeast Asian leaders should have an emergency meeting right now."

Governments in Asia have potent memories of the 2003 SARS crisis and bird flu. Bird flu first began ravaging poultry stocks across Asia in 2003 and has caused 257 human fatalities, mostly in Southeast Asia.

Surin, Thailand's former foreign minister, said in an earlier statement that officials have "the necessary experience" from past outbreaks to coordinate as "swine flu threatens to spread to the region."

Regional health experts who took part in an ASEAN-organized teleconference discussed the importance of harmonizing measures and initiatives, the group said.

They also discussed specific actions being taken by the individual member states, such as "screening of arrivals from effected countries using thermal scanners and health declaration forms and health advisory to passengers."