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Asian health ministers have called for tough measures to contain the spread of SARS, following a special meeting on Saturday in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur.
The meeting was attended by health ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, together with China, Japan, and South Korea.
In a joint declaration released after the meeting, the ministers called for stringent screening at international departure points, a ban on travelers from countries and regions showing SARS symptoms, and mandatory health declarations for visitors from affected countries and regions.
Malaysian Health Minister Chua Jui Meng said, "It is mandatory for all affected countries to undertake medical pre-departure screening from their airports, from their seaports, from by land, and even by river ports. It must be mandatory."
The ministers also agreed to appoint a contact point in every country for routine exchange of information and to set up a hotline to facilitate communication in an emergency.
In addition, the ministers called on other countries and regions outside ASEAN to show similar resolve and commitment.
Malaysian Health Minister Chua Jui Meng also said, "We have decided that international and regional collaboration is a major move that we must undertake. There is no option for that. We hope that the collaboration that we have seen today amongst the 13 nations grouped together will become something that other regions in the world will undertake － under the auspices of the World Health Organization."
The regional director of the World Health Organization said that Saturday's meeting and the forthcoming Bangkok summit of Southeast Asian leaders next Tuesday could determine the future course of how nations and regions tackle SARS, which has killed at least 293 people and infected more than 4,600 worldwide.
(CCTV April 27, 2003)
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