Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macau will carry out a joint epidemic prevention drill on Monday.

The decision was made during the 5th joint conference for senior health officials from the mainland, Hong Kong and Macau.

The drill is aimed at establishing a cross-region joint action system to deal with public health emergencies. Meanwhile, it will test the capacity for information communication and joint prevention and control.

The epidemic prevention drill highlights cooperation in reporting public health emergencies among the regions and handling breakouts and disasters.

It may involve reporting cases, curing patients, handling crisis situations on the spot, conducting epidemiological investigation and paving the way for detailed communication between experts.

Since June 2006, senior health officials from these regions have held four joint conferences in Beijing, Macau, Hong Kong and Kunming, the capital city of Yunnan province.

Editor: Yan