(VOVworld) – At a meeting of the health care working group co-chaired by Vietnam and Peru as part of APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM1) in Nha Trang on Friday, delegates share their achievements of the fight against epidemics.

Delegates at a working group meeting of APEC-SOM1 (Photo: Doan Tan/VNA)

At the meeting attended by 180 delegates from 21 APEC member economies, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). A Vietnamese representative told the participants of its gains in containing infectious diseases: SARS, and H5N1 and H1N1 bird flu, completing millennium development targets, improving public health and health care equality, and lengthening lifespan. Dr. Tran Dac Phu, Head of the Preventive Medicine Department at the Ministry of Health, called on countries to work together to combat diseases. He said:“APEC members need close coordination in oversight, information and test technology sharing, and dealing with epidemics. Once health problems are resolved, social safety will be ensured.