HONOLULU (AP) - The U.S. military is donating 30,000 doses of surplus flu vaccine to U.S. territories and small island states in the Pacific, including American Samoa and Palau.

The vaccine doses were gathered from across the military and stored at Tripler Army Medical Center on Oahu.

Hawaiian Airlines is delivering the doses to American Samoa.

Continental Airlines is carrying the remainder to the Northern Mariana Islands, Micronesia, Guam and the Marshall Islands.

Tripler Army Medical Center says influenza is a year-round disease in the tropics so the vaccine will be useful even though flu season is ending in the 50 states.

The doses are worth about $260,000.

The Defense Department requires active duty personnel to be vaccinated every year.

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