Brazilian Health Minister Jose Gomes Temporao announced on Sunday the first death of the A/H1N1 flu in the country.

A 29-year-old man, who was in Argentina and was hospitalized from June 20 in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, was the first confirmed case, said Temporao at a press conference.

"Even with properly assistance, has died this morning. The Health Ministry deeply regrets the death and reaffirms that it is making all efforts to contain the disease and prevent the occurrence of deaths," he said.

Although Brazil recorded the first death in the country, Temporao said that the rate of lethality of the disease is still considered "low."

"There is a perception in the world of falling mortality. There is no evidence that this new virus is mixing itself to others, which is compatible with low mortality. In the beginning, (the rate of mortality) was 2 percent, it fell to 0.5 percent and now is close to 0.4 percent. In Brazil, most cases have mild symptoms," he said.

He also said that the vaccine against the new flu is in the final stage of development and there is no forecast of when it maybe available for the population.

Since June 11, the number of cases registered in Brazil began to grow faster. At that time, 56 people were infected with the virus. But the Ministry of Health confirmed on Saturday that 591 Brazilians were infected with the new flu, an increase of 955 percent in recent two weeks.

(Xinhua News Agency June 29, 2009)