KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Asian nations vowed Saturday, April 26, to form a united front to halt the spread of the killer SARS virus as the World Health Organization (WHO) called for a global hunt to track down every case of the disease.

The determined pledge came at the end of a meeting of Asian health ministers and international experts in Kuala Lumpur and ahead of a regional summit on the economically devastating epidemic, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

Malaysia's Health Minister Chua Jui Meng welcomed delegates to the meeting on the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome with an appeal for closer regional cooperation against the "21st century disease."

"We need to show to the rest of the world that we in Asia are always ready to work as a team when facing any regional or global threat that may affect and compromise our region," Chua said.

"This 21st century disease could have other consequences as well. Should SARS continue to spread, the global economic consequences could be great in a closely interconnected and interdependent world," he added.

The talks include the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as well as China, Japan, Hong Kong, and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Canada, the worst-hit country outside Asia, is sitting as an observer.

On Tuesday, April 29, ASEAN leaders will meet Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in Bangkok for an extraordinary summit dedicated to a specific disease outbreak.

"We must be absolutely relentless in our search for every possible SARS case. We must use every weapon at our disposal. The world is watching us," said Chua.

“Explosive”

In his address to the meeting, WHO regional director Shigeru Omi stressed the need to track down all infected persons and anyone they have been in contact with in order to fully contain the epidemic.

"We cannot afford to miss a single person," Omi told the participants.

"We are at a crossroads. What we decide today and at the heads of state meeting on Tuesday will determine the future course of this outbreak," he said.

Omi added that although the number of SARS cases and deaths was not large compared to other diseases, the illness posed an "unprecedented" threat and had distinct characteristics.

"First, this virus has already demonstrated its explosive power to cause sudden outbreaks in a large number of countries," he said.

"In some countries schools and offices are being closed, international travel has been dramatically reduced, tourism has almost disappeared and normal life has been seriously disrupted," added the WHO official.

A second characteristic was the severe impact on health workers, Omi said.

"This is a major concern since this means that our health systems are under threat, undermining our ability to fight the outbreak," he asserted.

The WHO has declared several regions no-go zones as it attempts to contain SARS, issuing advisories warning against all non-essential travel to Beijing, Hong Kong and the Canadian city of Toronto.

Omi's comments came after Canadian health authorities announced the SARS-linked death toll reached 19 Friday, April 25.

Of the 341 cases in Canada, 142 are suspected ones, meaning people have more severe symptoms and have had x-rays showing respiratory distress.

Toronto, Canada's economic engine, has been suffering since the SARS outbreak started seven weeks ago, with hotels half empty and restaurants and stores clamoring for more business.

Hong Kong reported only 17 new cases Saturday, the lowest since late-March, bringing the total of SARS cases to 1,527 and raising cautious optimism the SARS outbreak had stabilized.

China reported seven new SARS deaths and 154 new cases, taking the nationwide death toll to 122, the health ministry said Saturday.

The respiratory illness that first emerged in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong nearly six months ago has now killed at least 291 people, mostly in Asia, and infected more than 5,000 people in 26 countries.