Medical meeting: Secretary for Health, Welfare & Food Dr Yeoh Eng-kiong briefs the press, with WHO's Dr Shigeru Omi and Mainland Minister of Health Dr Zhang Wenkang.

The world's leading experts on infectious disease will come to Hong Kong to study ways of tackling the outbreak of atypical pneumonia.

Hong Kong will host the symposium that will involve experts from the World Health Organisation and health officials from countries affected by the virus.

After meeting with WHO Western Pacific Regional Director Dr Shigeru Omi and Mainland Minister of Health Dr Zhang Wenkang today, Secretary for Health, Welfare & Food Dr Yeoh Eng-kiong said the parties agreed to hold the meeting in a bid to stop further infections.

Dr Omi said the meeting could be held "within days or weeks".

"As soon as possible, WHO will organise a meeting where all the experts in this field will get together in Hong Kong and discuss how we can further facilitate the exchange of information [on the virus] and better control this disease," he said.

"WHO is treating with utmost seriousness the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome. We have activated WHO's global outbreak alert and response network. The network is working on six key objectives."

The objectives are: Contain and control the outbreak; identify the causative agent; identify an effective treatment; support healthcare infrastructure in affected countries; provide information to health officials and address public concerns; and, reinforce preparedness in vulnerable countries.

"We have set up 11 laboratories in nine countries to work on pinpointing the pathogen behind the outbreak. Already there has been some success in this area. However we should not get carried away, these are preliminary results only."

Further studies are needed before it can be concluded with confidence that the causative agent of the syndrome has been identified.

"The syndrome has the potential to spread and cause harm, but equally the rapid response of WHO states and the international community has meant formidable precautions have been put in place."

Dr Omi commended Hong Kong for its work in fighting the virus.

"The performance of Hong Kong's health authorities has been most reassuring. This has been a testing time for everyone involved and WHO applauds the dedication of Hong Kong's public administrators, doctors and nurses and everyone else involved in this battle. We would like to offer a special word of gratitude to doctors at Chinese University and the Prince of Wales Hospital for their work on identifying the virus associated with the disease."

Dr Omi said a team of five WHO experts, highly skilled in outbreak investigation, is now in Hong Kong working with health officials. Another team will head to Beijing this weekend to work with local experts there.

"The skills and expertise of the Chinese can make a significant contribution to the world body of knowledge on the disease," Dr Omi said.

"Much has been achieved in a short time. The challenge ahead must not be underestimated. We must redouble our efforts to understand the nature of this disease, prevent its spread and heal those who have fallen sick."

Dr Zhang said the Central Government has agreed to enhance co-operation between Hong Kong and the Mainland to contain the outbreak.

"The Mainland has been working closely with the WHO and several groups of experts from WHO have been working in Beijing," he said, adding that while the Mainland was the first country to find and report the illness, it did not mean the disease spread from there to Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, as at 3pm, 222 people were under observation and 217 had been diagnosed with the virus.

Thirty-eight of these people were in intensive care, including two students who were in serious condition. The accumulated total of deaths has risen to seven.