Health officials from China and countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Thursday proposed setting up a regional disease-monitoring network for post-disaster epidemic prevention.  

"The earthquake and tsunami in the Indian Ocean demonstrated once again that natural disasters are common threats to all human beings. To defend ourselves from such catastrophes, we should have an effective cooperative mechanism for epidemic prevention," said Vice Minister of Health Wang Longde at a two-day China-ASEAN symposium in Beijing on post-disaster epidemic prevention.

To support the initiative, Wang said China would share its experiences in disaster relief and disease control and provide technical support in rapid testing, water quality monitoring, emergent immunization and personnel training.

Since the SARS outbreak in early 2003, China has been very active in international health cooperation. In a letter to the symposium, Vice Premier Wu Yi said that China would continue to engage in international exchange and cooperation in the area of public health to improve regional disaster response and epidemic prevention capabilities.

"During the SARS outbreak, China showed it had the capacity to contain a very dangerous outbreak. We sincerely hope that China will be a very good partner in the prevention of disease outbreaks in the future," said Bounpheng Philavong, senior officer of ASEAN's Bureau for Resources Development.

Wu also promised that the Chinese government would continue to assist the tsunami-hit countries in rehabilitation and reconstruction.

The December 26 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami claimed nearly 300,000 lives. In the aftermath, the World Health Organization was concerned that major outbreaks of infectious diseases in the affected regions might create more victims.

(Xinhua News Agency March 18, 2005)