Bird flu tops agenda at Southeast Asia health meeting

A senior member of the junta that rules Myanmar, Lieutenant General Thein Sein, said the ministers would discuss "rapid response and pandemic preparedness for avian influenza."

The meeting aimed to develop "better understanding and coordination for emerging infectious diseases," said Thein Sein, the junta's fifth most powerful man.

"In addressing avian influenza, close coordination and pooling of resources are needed in regional cooperation for effective prevention and control operations," he said.

The 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, as well as health officials from China, Japan and South Korea were attending the talks.

Separately in Jakarta, international experts were mapping out a strategy for Indonesia to rein in the virus, which the government
 
The only country with more bird flu victims is Vietnam, where 42 deaths have been recorded.

More than 120 people worldwide have died from the highly deadly H5N1 bird flu virus since it re-emerged as a threat in 2003, with most of the victims in Asia.

Myanmar is among the countries often accused by international experts of lacking openness in its monitoring for bird flu.

The country reported its first outbreak of the disease in March, around the central city of Mandalay. The government slaughtered some 660,000 birds and has insisted that the outbreaks were under control.