Ecuador and Peru agreed to take joint actions to face the spread of the influenza A/H1N1 at bordering zones, Ecuadorian Public Health Ministry said on Monday.

The ministry said technical teams from both countries met in Peruvian city of Tumbes, where they agreed to take preventive measures to strengthen the control, vigilance, investigation, and information exchange of the epidemic.

Both parties made commitment to guaranteeing the access to health services on the borders, to preparing service networks and to treating patients according to regulations of each, in an effort to optimize laboratorial diagnosis for the vigilance of the flu.

Ecuador and Peru also vowed to develop, strengthen and reach a consensus on the strategies of communication, diffusion and education for health, through social mobilization and civil participation.

The number of A/H1N1 flu cases in Ecuador reached 85 on Monday, while the number in Peru hit 91, according to health authorities.

(Xinhua News Agency June 16, 2009)