In a bid to prevent A H1N1 flu from entering Indonesia, delegates to attend the World Ocean Conference (WOC) would have to pass medical checks at the airport, the Jakarta Post reported Monday.

"We have put eight steps in place to anticipate the risk of the flu hitting the Manado Conference. Health problems are now the top priority rather than diplomacy", the daily quoted National Organizing Committee Secretary Indroyono Susilo as saying.

He said the committee has set three thermal scanners in Manado's Sam Ratulangi airport to measure the body temperature of people upon their arrival from abroad to find out if they carry the Influenza A/H1N1 virus.

The WOC summit is scheduled to be held from May 11 to 14 in Manado, the capital city of North Sulawesi province.

The summit will be attended by 1,300 foreign delegates from 52 countries. They are expected to start arriving on May 10.

Mexico, which has the highest fatality rate and is believed to be the origin of the flu, has confirmed it will send 20 delegates to the WOC.