Manila, Sept 20 (ZEENEWS.COM) The Asia-Pacific region is still not prepared to handle the threat from emerging infectious diseases such as bird flu, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.

To help the region better prepare, the who has released what it described as a "road map" for governments on how to prepare for emerging diseases, its western pacific office in Manila said.

Health officials must not only have an immediate response to emerging diseases like avian influenza but they must also focus on the mid and long-term measures to battle these diseases, said a statement.

"Many health systems were under-manned and under-resourced when SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) struck, causing great human suffering, enormous fear and staggering economic losses," who acting regional director Richard Nesbit said in the statement.

SARS first emerged in southern China in late 2002 and went on to infect about 8,000 people and killed 800 in more than two dozen countries.

He said that even as SARS was contained it was followed by the spread of avian influenza -- or "bird flu" -- first in Asia and then to the rest of the world.