The Brazilian health authorities have confirmed another 62 deaths of A/H1N1 flu on Friday, raising the country's death toll to 339, Xinhua reported.
According to the Health Ministry's latest report, there were 3,642 confirmed cases of A/H1N1 flu in Brazil, about half of those being serious.
Most cases occurred in the southern and southeastern regions, Sao Paulo state having the highest death toll in the country with 134 confirmed victims. Winter in such regions is more severe, which promotes the spread of the flu.
This sharp increase in the death toll caused Brazil's National Sanitation Supervision Agency to announce the suspension of all ads for analgesics, antipyretics and flu medicines in order to discourage self-medication, which can cause errors in flu diagnosis.
Several Brazilian towns have already declared a state of emergency; others have suspended classes in schools and universities and restricted events such as music concerts and large fairs to discourage crowds.
Brazil will start producing a vaccine against the A/H1N1 flu in October, and 18 million vaccines will be imported.