HONG KONG, April 26: Asian nations vowed to form a united front to halt the spread of the killer SARS virus on Saturday as the World Health Organisation (WHO) called for a global hunt to track down every case of the disease.

The pledge came at the end of a meeting of Asian health ministers and international experts in Kuala Lumpur after Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) claimed 14 more lives across the region.

The respiratory illness has now killed at least 291 people, mostly in Asia, and infected more than 5,000 people in 26 countries.

Several governments have already introduced sweeping emergency measures to curb the spread of the disease,quarantining thousands of people and sealing off entire buildings, hospitals and schools.—AFP