The number of suspected A/H1N1 flu cases rose to 23 on Saturday in the State of Louisiana, Governor Bobby Jindal announced late in the evening.

On Thursday, the State Department of Health said in a news release that only eight suspected cases of A/H1N1 flu had been detected in four parishes (counties) in Louisiana.

However, there still are no confirmed cases of A/H1N1 virus in Louisiana, the Governor said on Saturday evening.

Most of the 23 cases concentrated in the Lafayette area, where the Governor has recommended that four schools be closed for up to two weeks in an attempt to contain the spread of the virus.

Seventeen cases are in Lafayette, including 14 children, many of whom have connections through the four schools being targeted for closure. "We're considering this a cluster," Jindal said.

Two of the suspected cases are in Orleans Parish (county), including an 8-year-old boy who is a student at Audubon Charter School.

The other suspected cases are in St. Tammany, Ascension and Beauregard parishes (county).

Although there still are no confirmed cases of A/H1N1 virus in Louisiana, Jindal said the state has been told to "prepare for a high rate of confirmation" among the samples that have been sent to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta for testing.

Jindal said he expects more school closures to be announced in the days ahead as state officials work to contain the outbreak.

(Xinhua News Agency May 3, 2009)