Key health officials and experts from Hong Kong, Guangdong and Macau have agreed to bolster co-operation and exchange, and refine the infectious disease notification system to better curb the spread of illness in the three jurisdictions.

They reached the consensus at the two-day 9th Tripartite Meeting on the Prevention & Control of Communicable Diseases which ended in Zhuhai today.

A co-operation pact on human swine flu prevention was signed, and the membership of an expert panel on the issue agreed upon. The team will comprise clinical, epidemiology and laboratory experts from the three jurisdictions, forming a co-operation mechanism for swine flu prevention and control.

The three places agreed to:

* continue enhancing the response system to public health incidents and major infectious diseases in the three places, and communication and co-operation in the preparedness for any flu pandemic;

* continue improving the notification mechanism;

* continue co-operation on visits and training of healthcare professionals in surveillance and outbreak investigations, contingency management, clinical epidemiology, laboratory tests and infection control management; and,

* foster co-operation in scientific research, including AIDS, influenza and human avian flu, and microbial resistance research.

Participating in the meeting were Director of Health Dr PY Lam, Guangdong Department of Health Associate Director Huang Fei, Macau Health Bureau Director Dr Lei Chin Ion and more than 60 experts.