Five more A/H1N1 flu deaths were confirmed in Brazil on Tuesday, bringing the death toll to 20, the country's health authorities said.

All five deaths, including four women and one man, occurred in the state of Sao Paulo in southeastern Brazil. One of the victims was a pregnant woman, and her baby was saved.

All A/H1N1 flu deaths in Brazil took place in three states. Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil has the highest death toll of 11 victims. Sao Paulo state has eight registered deaths, and Rio de Janeiro state in the southeast has one death.

The three states altogether accounted for about two thirds of the 1,175 confirmed cases in Brazil. There are also 3,926 suspected cases, and 1,837 patients have recovered from the disease.

The number of A/H1N1 flu cases in Brazil have increased tenfold in the past month, pressing the authorities to take a series of measures to contain the pandemic.

Four towns in Rio Grande do Sul state have declared state of emergency.

According to the World Health Organization, over 700 people have already died from the flu.

(Xinhua News Agency July 22, 2009)