Brazil's health ministry says the country has the world's highest swine flu death toll.  

The health ministry says swine flu has killed 557 people between April and August of this year. The ministry released its latest report Wednesday based on figures from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control.

It says the United States ranks next, with 522 fatalities, and Argentina places third with 439.

Brazil's government says it wants to free up $2 billion to purchase 73 million doses of vaccine to fight the A-H1N1 virus.

Latin America has seen a greater impact from swine flu because it is the winter season in the Southern Hemisphere, when viruses are easily transmitted.

The World Health Organization has declared the swine flu outbreak a pandemic, and says up to two billion people may eventually be infected.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.