Brazil's southern state of Paranahas reported 45,444 cases of A/H1N1 influenza from June 20, when the flu was confirmed by laboratory tests and clinical criteria, to December 7.

The latest report, published on Tuesday by the state's health department, showed that so far 286 people had died due to complications derived from the flu.

Between July 14 and December 7, 55 percent of the victims were women and 45 percent were men, while 61.5 percent of deaths occurred among people aged between 20 and 49, 19.9 percent between 50 and 59 and 9.4 percent between 5 and 19.

The Brazilian government purchased the first batch of 40 million doses of vaccines in November.

The country is using nearly 450 million reais (US$253 million) to the purchase the first batch, using a 2.1 billion reais (US$1.1 billion) credit released by the government in October to fight the flu.

The drugs will arrive in Brazil in the first half of 2010 -- possibly in January -- and the health ministry promised to make it available before June 2010.

(Xinhua News Agency December 16, 2009)