The World Health Organization (WHO) will send a high-level official to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' (ASEAN) special meeting on SARS to brief the latest development of the epidemic disease.

David Heyman, executive director for communicable diseases, will update the regional leaders with the latest information on the outbreak of SARS and methods of control, Thai Foreign Minister Surakiat Sathirathai was quoted by The Nation newspaper as sayingon Thursday.

The ASEAN special meeting on SARS is scheduled to be held on April 29 in Bangkok and aimed at drawing up collective measures to fight the disease.

Leaders and ministers arriving for the special summit will be exempt from health screening for the virus, said Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra on Thursday.

But lower-ranking delegates will still be checked and have to follow self-surveillance measures as usual, according to the prime minister.

(Xinhua News Agency April 25, 2003)