The Philippine health authorities on Wednesday confirmed four more people infected with the A/H1N1 flu virus, bringing the cases to six in the Southeast Asian country.

Heath Secretary Francisco Duque III said the four patients included a 13-year-old boy who came from Hong Kong, China; a one-year-old girl who traveled from the United States; and a 55-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman who were contacts of a confirmed case from Taiwan, China.

All the patients are currently being observed in health facilities, said the health chief. The 13-year-old boy has fully recovered while the rest still have cough, he added.

The Philippine Department of Health (DOH) earlier confirmed two cases in the country and said that the two patients have already recovered but remain under quarantine.

Health officials are expecting more confirmed cases in the coming weeks due to the authorities' intensive contact tracing and heightened awareness among the public.

"Efforts are being taken to complete contact tracing and to place under quarantine those with known exposure to the confirmed cases," Duque said in a statement, adding that those who are found ill will be brought to designated health facilities.

"Since there is continuous international travel and the number of affected countries continues to increase, the DOH has been preparing for this scenario (more cases confirmed)," Duque said.

The health department, however, assures the public that the pandemic preparedness and response plan is in place and that it has expanded its referral hospitals to all DOH regional hospitals and medical centers.

Latest data from the World Health Organization and world governments show that there are nearly 13,000 cases confirmed in 46 countries, most in United States and Mexico. A total of 100 persons have died worldwide of the A/H1N1 flu outbreak.

(Xinhua News Agency May 28, 2009)