Queensland Health Minister Paul Lucas told the parliament on Tuesday it's inevitable there will be deaths in Australia from AH1N1 flu.

Lucas says the A/H1N1 flu situation is escalating in Australia and the ultimate spread of it in greater numbers can hardly be stopped.

"Inevitably you expect to see deaths in Australia from swine flu," Lucas said.

What the Health is doing is slowing it and seeking to contain it and will continue to take every appropriate action to fight against it, said he.

He said around 1,000 to 3,000 Australians died each year from influenza.

The government is holding out for a vaccine. A vaccine against A/H1N1 flu is still at least two months away, Lucas added.

The figure now stands 496 confirmed cases according to local media reports, while a fortnight ago the country had only one case of A/H1N1 flu.

(Xinhua News Agency June 2, 2009)