Panamanian President Martin Torrijos announced on Thursday that his government will provide US$5 million to fight the influenza A H1N1 flu.

Torrijos said that this emergency fund will be managed by the Panamanian Health Ministry and it will be used to reinforce the sanitary emergency measures that were taken due to the threat of this flu.

To the moment, Panama has registered nine possible cases, among whom five were ruled out after the lab tests, but still the authorities wait for the result of the other four cases.

The reported possible cases in Panama are passenger coming from Ecuador, Argentina and mainly from Mexico.

One of the measures that Panama has taken is the control increased at the entrances of main ports and airports, in order to keep the virus off the country.

The government set these measures due to the advise from the World Health Organization (WHO) on warning about the danger of a world pandemic.