A number of Latin American countries now have cases of suspected swine flu, health officials reported on Tuesday.

The Brazilian Health Ministry said that so far 20 suspected cases of swine flu have been reported in eight states, including two in Rio de Janeiro. The only region of Brazil without any suspected cases is the Midwest, the ministry said.

Argentina health authorities said they are studying 11 possible cases of swine flu, which was first detected in Mexico. Among the afflicted were a couple from Mendoza province, a doctor from Rio Negro and a three-member family from Cordoba province that had recently visited Mexico.

In Mexico, more than 150 people are thought to have died from the new virus and thousands sickened. Around 100 cases have been confirmed worldwide and the number is inching higher.

Venezuela on Tuesday reported its first three suspected cases of swine flu, which has now been found in a number of other countries, including the U.S., Canada, Israel, New Zealand, Australia, Britain, Germany and Spain.

The Venezuela patients, who had traveled to Mexico on April 24, have been isolated in a Valencia hospital, about 158 kilometers from Carcas, and were being tested, state health officials said.

Maria Julia Munoz, the Uruguayan public health minister, said that authorities were analyzing one case of suspected swine flu from a Uruguayan who had visited Mexico.

"The patient is under observation. Although he is a suspected case, he has few symptoms to be swine flu," Munoz said, "We are going to study his samples and if we can not confirm, they will be sent to the U.S."

Forty-two people in Colombia are under observation after showing symptoms of swine flu, said Social Protection Minister Diego Palacio.

"We have 42 patients who are being observed, but the fact is that it is just an anti-epidemic measure. Only four among them really need to be worried about," Palacio said.

Colombian Health Secretary Hector Zambrano said 18 patients are under observation in Bogota, the capital city of the country.

Cuba, which along with Argentina has banned flights to Mexico, is free of swine flu, said Luis Estruch, the vice minister of Cuban Hygiene, Epidemiology and Microbiology.