The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries are currently better prepared to deal with the potential spread of the swine flu because they had experiences in their fight against the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and avian influenza outbreaks, according to a press statement released by the ASEAN Secretariat on Monday.

The statement said the ASEAN has 500,000 courses of antivirals stockpiled in Singapore and an additional 500,000 courses have been distributed to the ASEAN member states as the ASEAN's one million courses of antivirals is a reassuring fact, while further efforts will be exerted to mobilize other sources of antivirals if needed.

Apart from those medical stockpiles, the ASEAN member states are intensifying surveillance, coordinating and collaborating in the sharing of pertinent information, raising public awareness and taking necessary precautionary public health measures, the statement said.

Also, key initiatives such as the establishment of the ASEAN Technical Working Group on Pandemic Preparedness and Response, ASEAN Communication and Integration Strategy, Minimum Standards for Joint Outbreak Investigation and Response, and the Non-Health Indicators for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, will be contributory to addressing the current threats of an influenza pandemic, it said.

Meanwhile, Surin Pitsuwan, ASEAN Secretary General also directed his officials to convene on Monday morning the ASEAN Secretariat Working Group for ONE Health to assess the potential social, economic and public health impact from the swine influenza outbreak and to plan for immediate actions.

The ASEAN member states and the ASEAN Secretariat will remain vigilant and on alert for any development, and will continue to strengthen the pandemic preparedness and response, according to the press statement.

The number of suspected swine flu cases in Mexico has climbed to 1,614, including 103 deaths, according to Mexican Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova. The United States has confirmed at least 20 cases of swine flu, and Canada six.

World Health Organization spokesman Peter Cordingley said the new virus was spreading quickly in Mexico and the southern United States, raising fears of a global pandemic.

The ASEAN member countries include Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia.