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SINGAPORE : Japan is leading the way among countries of the Asia-Europe Meeting, should an Influenza A (H1N1) pandemic occur.
The 9th ASEM Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Hanoi over the last two days launched an initiative to rapidly contain such a pandemic.
A statement said that the event was jointly organised by the Japanese government and the Asia-Europe Foundation, and hosted by the Vietnamese government. It featured the handover of a sample box of antiviral drugs and personal protective equipment by the Japanese Foreign Minister to the Vietnamese Foreign Minister.
The Japanese have proposed a project of stockpiling half a million doses of anti-viral drugs and sets of personal protective equipment in Singapore.
This project will be under the Asia-Europe Foundation's supervision and the stock distributed only on the instruction of the World Health Organisation (Western Pacific Regional Office).
Singapore's Ministry of Health has confirmed that this is the stockpile donated by Japan in 2006 under the ASEAN+3 Framework, and Singapore had been chosen to house the regional stockpile.
There will also be an "ASEF Network for Public Health" set up under this initiative, to build up collaboration on health-related issues between the two regions. - CNA /ls
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