Leaders join forces against flu threat
Updated on 20 November 2005
Pacific Rim leaders meeting in South Korea this weekend have said they will join forces to fight the deadly bird flu virus.
One of the measures, agreed to by countries including the US, Japan and China, involve staging a drill to test regional responses in the event of a pandemic.
There are real fears that the virus will mutate and pass quickly from human to human, causing a global pandemic.
Since the latest outbreak in 2003, avian flu has killed 67 people, including 42 people in Vietnam, 13 people in Thailand, seven people in Indonesia, four people in Cambodia and one person in China.
Experts say one of the biggest challenges is Indonesia. Last week, two more people were confirmed to have died from the virus in the Asian country - bringing the total number of dead to seven.
The Indonesian government, which has resisted culling, has been accused of being slow and complacent in its response.
Our Asia correspondent Ian Williams reports from Jakarta where international experts are racing to set up a national surveillance system ahead of the rainy season, a risky time for the spread of avian flu.
