A girl of one-and-a-half years old was hospitalized on Wednesday in the west of Panama City with some suspicious symptoms of influenza A/H1N1, Panamanian sanitary authorities said.

The patient was assisted in the pediatric room of Santiago Barraza hospital of La Chorrera, around 33 km west to Panama City.

In order to make a better analysis of the case, the girl was taken to Panama City, while waiting for the result of the tests.

The girl and her family arrived home from Mexico recently, local media reported. Sanitary authorities have decided to quarantine the girl's relatives to avoid risks.

The latest report of the Health Ministry shows that the possible cases of human flu has risen to 22 in Panama, with 19 of them cleared and three still under medical observation.