Ecuadorian Health Minister Caroline Chang said on Monday that the number of confirmed cases of the A/H1N1 flu has risen from 17 to 24 in the country.

Chang made the announcement at a meeting with Colombian Social Protection Minister Diego Palacio in Tulcan, 240 km north of Quito, border with Colombia.

Representative of Ecuador at the World Health organization (WHO) Celia Riera also attended the meeting, which aims to review and coordinate joint measures of the two countries to control the A/H1N1 virus transmission.

Health authorities from both countries try to strengthen the epidemic barrier and to share information on the virus transmission.

Chang said that the border health checkpoints are vital to impede the spread of the virus, adding that Ecuador and Colombia have coordinated with each other at border areas on the issue.

"We are in touch and in case of necessary we can share the world of technical and specialist staff," Chang said.

Palacio said that his country has confirmed 13 positive cases of A/H1N1 flu, while none of the cases has been detected at the border with Ecuador.

Colombian and Ecuadorian health authorities signed at the end of the meeting an agreement on cooperation.

(Xinhua News Agency May 26, 2009)