Belgrade - Serbia on Friday signed a contract to purchase 3 million flu vaccine units from the Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis.

Novartis won a tender earlier this month and is to begin delivering the vaccine in early December. The cost of each vaccine is 800 dinars (13 dollars).

Serbian Health Minister Tomica Milosavljevic declared a nationwide flu epidemic on Wednesday. He said priority inoculation is planned in jeopardized segments of the population: children, chronic patients and pregnant women.

Health authorities have so far reported nine deaths related to complications caused from the swine flu. In a television interview on Wednesday, Milosavljevic estimated the number of infected in Serbia, a country with 7.5 million inhabitants, at 20,000-30,000. The Novartis representative in Serbia is Jugohemija, a firm controlled by billionaire tycoon Milorad Miskovic's Delta Holding. (dpa)