Kuala Lumpur hosted a o­ne-day meeting of the health ministers from the 10 Asean countries and three other nations badly affected by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) today.

The meeting is to find concerted and effective means to arrest the spread of the deadly pneumonia-like disease which has infected more than 20 countries.

A Bernama report said that among the ministers attending the meeting were Pehin Datuk Abu Bakar Apong (Brunei), Lim H'ng Kiang (Singapore), Achmad Sujudi (Indonesia), Sudarat Keyuraphan (Thailand), Pnomeh Dallaloi (Laos) and Chua Jui Meng (Malaysia).

China was represented by its Deputy Health Minister, Dr Huang Jie Su, Japan by its Minister for Health, Labour and Welfare, Chikara Sakaguchi, and Canada by its High Commissioner to Malaysia Jean McCloskey.

They were joined by the World Health Organisation (WHO)'s regional director for Western Pacific Dr Shigeru Omi. The ministers and representatives briefed the meeting o­n the Sars situation in their respective countries, from which actions would be formulated in a joint declaration to be issued at the end of their meeting this afternoon.

Support from neighbours

Welcoming his guests to the meeting this morning, Chua said Malaysia could not handle the Sars problem alone without support from its neighbours and the international community. He said the continued spread of the disease would have great consequences o­n the global economy and trade.

"Indeed, Sars has already started to impact adversely o­n our economies, and many governments are already revising downwards previously forecast economic growth rates. At the same time, fears arising from the uncertainties of the disease are jeorpadising the tranquility of the societies," Bernama quoted him as saying

Chua said it was important that today's meeting urgently review the countries' shared problems and arrive at the best possible solutions.

Although each country had its own administrative and legislative control measures, the great mobility of their population was creating an alarming potential for the spread of the disease across national boundaries, he added.