US, Europe offer vaccine to nations in need

The US, France and Britain are among nine countries that pledged to make 10 per cent of their swine flu vaccine supply available to other nations that may need it.

In recognition of the global nature of the pandemic, the US is taking this action along with Australia, Brazil, France, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, and Britain, the White House said in a statement.

The A(H1N1) vaccine will be made available through the World Health Organisation, said White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs.

In Paris, President Nicolas Sarkozy's office said that France will donate nine million swine flu vaccine doses - 10 per cent of its entire stock of 94 million doses of vaccines - to the WHO.

British International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander announced a similar donation.

The move is made "in recognition that diseases know no borders and that the health of the American people is inseparable from the health of people around the world," read the White House statement.