SINGAPORE: While global attention continues to be on the economic downturn, Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng said on Monday that more could be done to prepare for a possible flu pandemic.

Mr Wong, who is also Singapore's Home Affairs Minister, was speaking at a conference on pandemic preparedness in Asia.

The H5N1 virus has spread to 61 countries and claimed 248 lives. While the situation appears to be stable now, further mutation would result in rapid human-to-human transmission, claiming millions of lives.

While no one knows where the virus will eventually emerge or how virulent it will be, one thing is certain – a possible pandemic remains a major threat, with the impact expected to surpass even that of a terrorist attack, according to a recent report.

Mr Wong said countries have to work out an effective reporting system for high-risk areas and Singapore has been planning for such a situation since 2004.

An online publication was even launched on Monday as a guide for crisis planners in the private sector.

He said: "There is no one-size-fits-all approach to deal with a pandemic. Mitigation measures that work well in one country may not be as effective in another country.

"This is because the conditions are different among countries. Therefore, plans must be contextualised to the circumstances and conditions of each country."


- CNA/so