MEXICO CITY, Oct. 20 (Xinhuanet) -- Latin America is strengthening regional cooperation to keep away the deadly bird flu, which has affected several Asian and European countries.

    Health ministers from Chile and the Andean Community, which Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela, will meet Friday in Lima, Peru's capital. They will discuss joint efforts, including unified border controls and joint responses to outbreaks, to avoid the H5N1 strain of bird flu.

    Latin America has widely stepped up efforts in fighting a possible pandemic. Mexico and Venezuela announced a ban on imports of live birds and poultry, and intensified their farm health campaigns and border vigilance.

    Colombia has reported one outbreak of a mild bird flu, but it is believed not as deadly as the H5N1 strain, which first appeared in 2003 in Southeast Asia and has killed more than 60 people.

    Experts say there are no sufficient evidence showing the H5N1 virus being able to spread among humans, yet the comparatively large number of Asian deaths has alarmed governments across Latin America.

    Experts agree the continent has the smallest possibility to be infected in the world due to vast oceans. But no government dares to take any chances to relax because of the virus' huge potential damage.

    Argentina, Brazil and Panama said they will buy large quantities of Tamiflu, an antiviral drug made by Swiss manufacturer Roche, to combat any possible crisis.

    Ecuador is banning products from Colombia, even though the bird flu strain found there is considered to pose little health risk.

    Brazil, the largest exporter of chicken in the world, also intensified its farm health campaigns. Health Minister Saraiva Felipe said Thursday the country would set aside a billion reales (450 US million dollars) to keep out bird flu, and buy 193 million reales (85 million dollars) worth of Tamiflu, enough to treat 9 million people.

    Chile said if the epidemic spreads among humans, it would close schools and quarantine the sick.

    Health ministers from across America plan to meet Monday in Ottawa, Canada, to coordinate their anti-bird flu plans. Enditem