US 'donated' expired vaccines for Pak quake victims

    Washington: More than 2.5 million flu vaccines that were rejected last year by the US authorities because their expiry date had elapsed, were donated (as medical-relief material) for the quake-affected areas in Pakistan. Sensing a possible shortage of the vaccine in the US, the state of Illinois had purchased around 256,000 doses last year from British wholesaler, Ecosse Hospital Products Limited. But, the US Food and Drug Administration barred the vaccine's import to Illinois, saying it couldn't guarantee its safety, said a report in the Daily Times. Earlier, when the expired vaccine was offered to South Africa, its government refused to permit its import because it considered the vaccine "unsafe for humans", it added. According to the paper, the staff of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich had been searching for a place to donate the vaccine, which they had ordered for in 2004.