WASHINGTON - THE Assembly of First Nations, a group representing Canada's indigenous populations, accused the government on Tuesday of responding too slowly to the outbreak of H1N1 flu in indigenous communities.

The group said that the A(H1N1) virus could prove devastating if government response efforts are not improved before the fall, when flu season typically begins.

Many isolated communities in the central regions of Ontario and Manitoba have been under virtual quarantine for a month after cases of H1N1 flu or other respiratory illness were reported.

Regional Chief Angus Toulouse pointed out the World Health Organisation's warning that the A(H1N1) virus is likely to reemerge, and called on the government to improve its response before then.

'There is an urgent need to ensure every First Nations community across Canada can equally access emergency health services before the fall,' Regional Chief Angus Toulouse said.

Failure to do so could result in 'tragic consequences,' he added.

Canada is the third worst H1N1 flu-affected country, with 20 deaths thought to be caused by the virus and nearly 6,500 confirmed cases of infection.

At the beginning of June, authorities in Manitoba urgently dispatched doctors and nurses to a remote indigenous community where more than 200 people reported suffering from respiratory problems.

Around 50 people were evacuated. Inuit communities in the north have also been equally affected by the virus, with 234 recorded cases in the autonomous territory of Nunavut.

Ten days after the WHO first declared the outbreak of H1N1 flu a level 6 pandemic, the organization said it remained concerned about the situation. -- AFP