Minister of Health Hou Sheng-mou (
The WHA, the World Health Organization's highest decision-making body, is meeting in Geneva until May 25.
Hou was originally scheduled to meet with US Secretary of Health and Human Services Mike Leavitt, but Leavitt returned to the US earlier than expected.
Bill Steiger, special assistant to the secretary, attended Hou's meeting with Gerberding.
"The secretary is very busy. But we talked briefly on Tuesday," Hou said.
Shen Lyushun (沈呂巡), director-general of the Taipei Cultural and Economic Office in Geneva, joined Hou's meeting with Gerberding.
Asked whether both sides mentioned the memorandum of understanding (MOU) China signed with the WHO to facilitate technical exchanges between Taiwan and the WHO, Shen said the US' firm support for Taiwan's participation in the health body has not changed.
Taiwan refused to accept the MOU because it treated Taiwan as part of China.
"The US supports us to join the WHO in the way we want and under the title we favor," Shen said.
Gerberding told Taiwanese reporters that the US is very concerned about the influenza threat in the West Pacific region.
"Secretary Leavitt is very concerned about influenza, as are we. I think all of the countries in the region need to be cooperating to concentrate on preparing us for that threat," Gerberding said.
"The entire region needs to come together in that network and work on preparing for influenza," she said, when asked whether Taiwan should be part of the network.
Hou said he revealed Taiwan's flu vaccine manufacturing project to Gerberding. The Taiwanese government plans to invest US$200 million to build vaccine factories and attract foreign investors in the industry.
The project, which will be carried out with technical assistance from the US, is expected to produce flu vaccines in five years, said Steve Kuo (
Taiwan hopes to offer flu vaccines to its diplomatic allies and Southeast Asian countries that do not maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan, Kuo said.
Meanwhile, the WHA discussed revisions of the International Health Regulations, the global legal framework for infectious disease control, for the second time yesterday.
Taiwan hoped to be included in the regulations and join the WHO activities and conferences under the framework.
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