Brazil's health authorities announced five new deaths due to A/H1N1 flu virus on Wednesday, bringing the total death toll to 134.
Of the five new victims, three died in the southeastern state of Sao Paulo, and two in the southern state of Parana. So far, Sao Paulo state has the largest number of casualties at 53.
Over half of the victims were women, and at least 14 of them were pregnant.
According to the Brazilian Health Ministry, the lethality rate of A/H1N1 flu was 23.5 percent among patients who have at least one of the risk factors such as pregnancy, brain or heart disease or are under the age of two or over 60. Among patients without risk factors, the A/H1N1 flu's lethality rate was 8.9 percent.
There are now 2,959 confirmed A/H1N1 flu cases in Brazil. About 71 percent exhibited light symptoms of the disease, while the rest had related complications, said the ministry.
According to the ministry, medical supplies were sufficient for all the infected patients in the country, and additional drugs would arrive in the next few months.
(Xinhua News Agency August 6, 2009)
