Scottish Health Minister Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed that two people coming back from Mexico have tested positive for swine flu in Britain, Sky news reported on Monday.

Sturgeon said: "I can confirm that tests have demonstrated conclusively that the two Scottish cases of swine flu are positive."

She added that the two patients are "recovering well" at Monklands Hospital.

The two people were admitted to hospital in Airdrie, Lanarkshire in northern Britain, after returning from holiday in Mexico, where over 100 people have died from swine flu.

The health minister added that seven of the 22 who had been in contact with the two patients have developed "mild symptoms," but they have not been confirmed as swine flu cases and are being "appropriately cared for" at home.

Earlier, British Health Secretary Alan Johnson told the House of Commons that a total of 25 possible cases had been reported in the country, eight of which initially proved negative.

Johnson insisted that Britain has enough anti-viral medication to treat half the population in the event of a pandemic.

According to the health secretary, the National Health Service has a stockpile of over 500-million-pound (US$750 million) worth of the Tamiflu antiviral drug and scientists are working on developing a vaccine against the new strain.

The Health Protection Agency said it was keeping a close eye on the situation, adding there was currently a "very low level" of flu activity in the country.

The concern over swine flu has caused shares of travel firms and air line shares to drop on Monday whereas shares of pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline had witnessed remarkable rise.