The public health officers from Thailand and Laos have convened a meeting to discuss the prevention of contagious diseases ahead of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) integration.

The meeting focused on measures to deal with major diseases such as diarrhea, polio, severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (SARS).

Participants agreed that a disease monitoring system must be developed ranging from the sub-district to provincial levels.

As there are population movements along the borders, contagious diseases are a major problem and a threat to public health in both nations.

Therefore, relevant Thai-Lao agencies are exchanging data weekly and monthly and convening meetings twice a year to review the data on major contagious diseases for prompt prevention and control.-VNA