Senior Officials responded to calls in 2003 from both Health Ministers and delegates from APEC's Industrial Science and Technology Working Group to establish a mechanism to address health within APEC more efficiently and effectively. In October 2003 the ad hoc Health Task Force (HTF) was established to address health-related threats to economies' trade and security, focusing mainly on emerging infectious diseases, including naturally occurring and man-made diseases. The Task Force implements APEC's health-related activities as directed by Leaders, Ministers and Senior Officials including activities contained in the Health Security Initiative of 2003.
The task force's mandate was originally in place until 2007. The Senior Officials' Steering Committee on ECOTECH (SCE) conducted a review of APEC working groups and task forces in 2006 and recommended that the HTF be transformed into the Health Working Group. Based on the report, "HTF Beyond 2007," the recommendation was accepted and was endorsed by Senior Officials in April 2007. The establishment of the Health Working Group was subsequently endorsed by Health Ministers in June 2007 and by APEC Ministers in September 2007. The first meeting of the Health Working Group was held in Lima, Peru on 21-22 February 2008 when they approved new terms of reference and the 2008 work plan.
Several APEC funded projects addressing avian influenza have been successfully held in 2006. The APEC Capacity Building Seminar on Avian Influenza: Preventing AI at its Source and a Dialogue on Indemnity was held on 12-13 September 2006. The Seminar increased information sharing and collaboration amongst animal and human health officials to minimize animal outbreaks. Lessons were also learned about the tools and resources to design and implement indemnity programs to promote domestic surveillance and eradication programs for trans-boundary animal disease like avian influenza.
The APEC HTF Seminar on Assessing Pandemic Preparedness Plans held on 16-17 August, 2006 provided a framework for assisting developing member economies in making decisions on how to assess their domestic pandemic preparedness plans.
A workshop on the Implementation of the Action Plan was then held on 7-8 May 2007 in Ha Noi. Member economies shared information and experiences on the implementation of the Action Plan, and identified capacity building needs for ensuring the effective and successful implementation of the Action Plan.
The Pandemic Risk Communication Workshop was held on 2-3 May 2006. It highlighted the importance and understanding of enhancing regional coordination in risk communication, build risk communication capacity among APEC member economies, and encouraged members to develop communications strategies as part of pandemic preparedness planning.
The Symposium on Emerging Infectious Diseases was successfully held on 4-5 April 2006 in Beijing, China. It brought together senior officials as well as medical and health experts to discuss ongoing technical aspects and work being undertaken to combat the threat of emerging infectious disease. Realizing that in the Asia-Pacific region there exists weakness and gaps in such areas as surveillance and response, communication, and coordination, mutual assistance and cooperation among member economies, the Symposium endorsed the Beijing Consensus which addressed the existing problems and will further enhance member economies' efforts to address the threats posed to public health by infectious disease.
Leaders of APEC Member Economies also agreed in September 2007 to support the sharing of influenza specimens in a timely manner and to promote transparent, fair and equitable access to vaccines and other benefits that derive from them.
