The World Health Organisation says countries should urgently develop a vaccine to combat a possible global flu pandemic. All it would take would be $13 million and good coordination, says WHO.

The outbreaks of SARS and Bird Flu have made preparedness imperative. A vaccine is the key to being prepared.

Over the last 100 years three pandemics have hit with such force that they spread around the whole planet before health experts were even able to identify the virus strain. In order to get a vaccine ready, you need to identify the strain well in advance.

With today's technology we can get a vaccine ready before a pandemic hits.

Klaus Stohr, WHO Coordinator of the Influenza Program, said \"It is not only possible, but also important, that influenza pandemic vaccines be made available. There\'s a shared responsibility needed to make that happen.\"

50 scientists, regulators and vaccine manufacturers met at UN's Health HQ, Geneva, Switzerland, precisely with this aim in mind - getting ready for a possible global flu pandemic by creating a new vaccine.

Stohr said we have a huge window of opportunity now. \"We could now get our groundwork done, our homework done, to ensure that when it matters most for vaccine production, it can happen immediately. We don\'t want to miss our chance.\" he said.

Stohr said the main problem at the moment is money.