On 15 December 2014, Thailand hosted the “ASEAN Plus Three Health Ministers’ Special Meeting on Ebola Preparedness and Response” at the Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel, Bangkok.

On this occasion, General Prayut Chan-o-cha, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand, inaugurated the Meeting to further highlight the determination of Thailand in supporting the international efforts to stop the Ebola pandemics. Health ministers and senior health officials from the ASEAN Plus Three Countries, namely Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea attended the Meeting. Eminent persons from various international organizations, such as the World Health Organization and the World Bank, shared their experiences in responding to the Ebola outbreak during the Meeting.

The Meeting aimed to strengthen cooperation among ASEAN Plus Three Countries in preparing for and responding to the outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease by promoting public awareness, enhancing surveillance, prevention, and containment capacity, as well as strengthening the capability of health personnel and medical sciences in the ASEAN Plus Three region, which is home to over 2 billion people and plays an important role in driving the global economy.

ASEAN Plus Three is a framework of cooperation between ASEAN Member Countries with China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea that covers various areas of functional cooperation, including public health. Thailand hosted many high level meetings in response to various epidemics in the region under the ASEAN Plus Three Framework, such as the Special ASEAN Leaders Meeting on Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003 and the ASEAN Plus Three Health Ministers’ Meeting on Influenza A (H1N1) in 2009.