Thailand is willing to host a new international conference on bird flu and to assist neighboring countries in containing the disease as requested by the World Health Organization (WHO), according to local media report Saturday.

The report said that Thai Public Health Minister Pinij Jarusombat told journalists Friday after meeting with WHO Director for Asia and the Pacific Dr. Samlee Plianbangchang and representatives of the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS ( UNAIDS) that he had discussed with the UN officials the planned international conference on bird flu in which ministers concerned from more than 30 countries will take part in.

The international meeting will be hosted by India in April, Pinij said.

However, "I have offered that if India is not ready, Thailand is willing to host the meeting and plans to invite other member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and three key dialogue partners -- China, Japan and South Korea -- known as ASEAN+3 to participate in the meeting," he said.

WHO has expressed its satisfaction with Thailand's effective measures on preventing and containing avian flu and has asked the kingdom to assist its neighboring countries in containing the disease, Pinij said, adding that the WHO regional director also invited Thai public health officials to visit the WHO office in India.

The forthcoming international conference on bird flu will focus on cooperation between public health and livestock officials in preventing and containing bird flu outbreaks in each country, strengthening international cooperation in avian flu and preparations for sufficient stocks of vaccines and Oseltamivir or Tamiflu, the main medicine now used for an anti-bird flu treatment.

Source: Xinhua