Singaporean officials will meet with their Malaysian counterparts to explore ways in which the two neighbours can work together to contain the Sars outbreak, said the Singaporean government.

The meeting is scheduled to take place today in Malaysia, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Home Affairs said.

According to a joint statement issued by the Singaporean home affairs and health ministries, the meeting will involve health and immigration officials from both countries.

"For the forthcoming meeting, Singapore officials will share experience, and discuss the Sars situation and cooperation measures," the statement said.

Screening border points

It was announced last week in Malaysia that the two countries would set up a joint border health committee to tighten control at entry points to try to curb the spread of the fatal Severe Acute Respiratory Acute Syndrome virus.

The Malaysian cabinet is expected to discuss this at its weekly meeeting today.

Malaysia has deployed more than 100 health officers at the two key entry points in its southern Johor state bordering Singapore to screen passengers arriving from the city-state, which is among the worst hit from Sars.

Kuala Lumpur has taken drastic measures to block the spread of Sars including putting a freeze o­n visas for visitors from China, Taiwan, Vietnam and Canada.

There are five probable Sars cases in Malaysia including o­ne death.

In neighbouring Singapore , there are more than 162 cases and 12 fatalities from the Sars outbreak. -- AFP