South Asia tackles Sars

India is the region's only country to confirm Sars cases so far

South Asian governments have agreed to introduce screening at all entry points to the region to check the spread of the deadly Sars virus.

The move was announced at an emergency meeting of regional health ministers in the Maldives.

"It is imperative that we take early and effective measures to combat the disease," Maldivian President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom told representatives from the seven countries.

India is the only country in South Asia to have reported patients infected by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, with nine cases confirmed so far.

On Tuesday, Royal Nepal Airlines suspended its Singapore flights for three weeks because of fears over the virus.

President Gayoom warned the meeting not to be complacent just because the epidemic was still minimal in the region.

Limited resources

Health officials in the Maldives say South Asian officials have managed to agree to a common strategy for tackling the virus.

KNOWN DEATH TOLL

Mainland China: 139

Hong Kong: 138

Singapore: 23

Canada: 21

Vietnam: 5

Thailand: 2

Malaysia: 2

Philippines: 2

Taiwan: 1

Indonesia: 1 (unconfirmed)

Source: WHO/ local health authorities

Map: Global overview

Timeline

This includes screening and quarantine for all suspected patients and a plan to pool available resources in the region for preventing the spread of the virus.

Not all countries in South Asia have effective measures in place at immigration points to prevent the infection entering.

Sri Lankan airport officials, for example, say they are not able to scan incoming passengers for signs of fever because they have not yet received the thermal imaging machines on order.

And many countries still have frequent air links to cities like Hong Kong and Singapore - so doctors say Singaporean men working in Colombo are now bringing their families to Sri Lanka for safety.

Urgent action needed

BBC correspondent Frances Harrison, who has been following the conference, says there is concern the poor health services in many South Asian countries may not be able to cope.

She says the prospect of a contagious and deadly virus like Sars spreading in South Asia is an alarming scenario.

Three countries in the region border China where there has been a major outbreak.

The organisers of the one-day meeting pointed out that with more than a billion people in South Asia and many crowded cities and limited health facilities it was imperative to take steps to combat the disease immediately.