|
 BRISBANE, Australia (AP) - Countries across the Asia-Pacific region coping with an outbreak of bird flu plan to stage a mock disease outbreak next year to gauge how well they would respond to a pandemic or other major health threat, an Australian official said Tuesday.
The exercise is expected in the first half of next year and will try to identify major weaknesses in preparedness and coordination, Doug Chester, Australia's ambassador to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, said at the end of a two-day meeting of disaster coordination experts. He did not give any details on the plan, but indicated it would focus more on strategy than field exercises.
Chester, who chaired the meeting in the eastern city of Brisbane, said planning for pandemic preparedness should not incite public panic about the potential for the bird flu virus to mutate and unleash a deadly global flu epidemic among humans.
|