Local officials and media in Venezuela say 17 people have died in an outbreak of H1N1 Swine Flu in states along the border with Colombia.

“We're suffering a tail-end of the pandemic,” said former Venezuelan health minister Rafael Orihuela.  The H1N1 strain swept around the world during 2009 and 2010.  The World Health Organization (WHO) says 18,500 died in that pandemic, but a study in The Lancet last year said the actual death toll may have been up to 15 times higher at more than 280,000.

The Venezuelan reports say in addition to the 17 people killed, another 250 people are sick.

Venezuela's government has not confirmed the figures given by media and local health authorities.  But officials said high-risk groups had largely been immunized, with 3 million vaccinations carried out so far this year.