United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says developing countries will need hundreds of millions of dollars in aid before the end of the year to help them combat the Mexican flu.

Mr Ban made his statement in Geneva, where dozens of donor countries are meeting to discuss funding to fight the current outbreak of the H1N1 flu virus.

Mr Ban said too little help is being offered by rich countries, despite earlier calls for assistance. He added that the Mexican flu is a global crisis demanding global action.

The World Health Organisation has named the outbreak of the H1N1 virus a pandemic. Worldwide, at least 95,000 people have fallen sick with the virus. More than 400 have died from it.

Photo of Ban Ki-moon by Thomas Hawk (flickr)