Summit nations pledge to overcome bird flu
The Star, 15 Dec 2005

KUALA LUMPUR: The 16 countries participating in the first East Asia Summit have pledged to cooperate fully to overcome the avian flu threat. 

Leaders of 10 Asean countries and their Chinese, Japanese, South Korean, Australian, New Zealand and Indian counterparts agreed to be “transparent” and to report any outbreak quickly. 

They pledged to spare no effort to contain the epidemic by tightening national policies on the prevention and control of emerging infectious diseases. 

The leaders also agreed to take measures   to   reduce   the  risk  of  a

pandemic involving humans. These pledges were in the special East Asia Summit Declaration on Avian Influenza Prevention, Control and Responses adopted by leaders at the close of the summit.  

The other pledges undertaken by the leaders were:  

· UNDERTAKE a well-coordinated multi-sectoral and multi-disciplinary approach at the national and regional level, particularly between the animal health and the human health sectors in support of regional and global efforts towards pandemic preparedness and response planning; 

· ESTABLISH national and regional bird flu and pandemic preparedness strategies with clearly defined work plans and resources requirement, supported by strong political will and requisite national legislations and technical expertise to minimise the impact of any possible outbreak; 

· SET up a network for anti-viral drug stockpiles with the technical support of the World Health Organisation and other recognised relevant international organisations; and 

· ESTABLISH information and sharing protocols among countries and multilateral organisations to ensure effective and timely communication.