Canada to host big October conference on avian flu

Canada will host a major international conference on Avian flu in October to discuss how ready the world is to combat a likely pandemic, Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh said on Thursday.

The head of the U.N. World Health Organization said on Thursday that Avian flu will mutate and become transmissible by humans. The flu has already killed more than 60 people in Asia and spread to Russia and Europe.

"We believe that it is important for us across the world to prepare together and know about each other's plans with respect to a possible pandemic," said Dosanjh.

"For these kinds of issues one is never completely prepared...we don't know when it (a pandemic) will occur, we all believe it will at some point (and) we need to make sure that we've done all we can to prepare for it."

He said the meeting - which is most likely to be held in the Canadian capital Ottawa - would group health ministers and senior officials from around 30 nations.

"We will of course be talking about accelerating global coordination efforts, rapid reaction plans and information sharing," Dosanjh said.

U.S. President George W. Bush on Wednesday unveiled a plan under which countries and international agencies would pool resources and expertise to fight bird flu.