October 6, 2005

Australia to hold regional summit on bird flu
 

Australia would hold a regional summit late this month on bird flu to assess how prepared Asia-Pacific countries were in the event of an outbreak.

Pandemic experts from the 21 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) countries would meet in Brisbane, Queensland state, to discuss preparations for a potential bird flu pandemic in the region.

This summit was announced not long after Australia sent a team of health officials to Jakarta, Indonesia, to provide aid in dealing against a bird flu outbreak.

Australia sought to develop a coordination strategy among APEC countries during the meeting, which would provide a detailed action plan for a regional response to the threat.

The meeting would also examine what each APEC country would need to do to improve their individual preparations against bird flu, the Australian government said. This included better communication, information exchange and new anti-bird flu measures.

Results from the meeting would then be brought up at the APEC meeting in South Korea during mid-November for further discussions and conclusions, the government added.

APEC health and quarantine officials, as well as representatives from key international organisations such as the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization would also attend the summit in Australia.

Since 2003, Australia has provided about US$121.6 million for pandemic prevention and preparedness against bird flu in the region.