Myanmar and Thailand will draw a plan for cooperation in prevention against bird flu and other infectious diseases in the their border regions, sources with the Myanmar Health Ministry said on Sunday.

The plan was discussed at the 5th Myanmar-Thai Health Cooperation Ministerial Meeting held here on Saturday evening, which was attended by Myanmar Health Minister Dr. Kyaw Myint and visiting Thai Minister of Public Health Dr. Mongkol Na Songkhla, the sources said.

Prevention against bird flu is the latest issue added to the two countries"e; cooperation program.

Myanmar was first struck by an outbreak of H5N1 bird flu in March last year in two divisions of Mandalay and Sagaing, and since February this year, five townships in Yangon have been hit by the virus for the second time.

Mongkol, who heads a Thai health delegation, arrived here on Saturday for the meeting.

Myanmar and Thailand have held such health cooperation ministerial meetings since the first in Tachilek and Maesai in September 2001. The last meeting of its kind was in Yangon in 2004.

In December 2003, Myanmar and Thai health ministries reached an agreement to cooperate in dealing with common health problems in areas along the two countries"e; border, agreeing to carry out disease control activities at four border crossings -- Tachilek- Maesai, Myawaddy-Maesot, Three Pagoda Pass-Kanchanaburi and Kawthoung-Ranong.

The joint activities include combating multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (TB) and developing a comprehensive response to the link between TB and HIV.

Myanma and Thailand began cooperation in prevention and control of malaria, TB and HIV/AIDS in border areas in 2000 and bilateral health exhibitions were conducted in Tachilek and Maesai in 2001, Kawthoung and Ranong in 2002 and Kengtung and Chiang Rai in 2003.

Malaria, TB and HIV/AIDS are listed as the top three communicable diseases in Myanmar.

Source: Xinhua