The Philippine health department said on Thursday that there are four more new laboratory-confirmed Influenza A/H1N1 cases in the country, bringing the total number of cases to 10.

In a press statement, Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III said that all the new confirmed cases attended a wedding in the northern province of Zambales on May 17, which was also attended by a confirmed case in Taiwan, China.

Of these four patients, two were females, a 24-year-old mother and her one-year-old daughter. The other two were males, aged 47 years and 13 years, respectively. Three of them are Filipinos, and one is a foreign national.

All the newly-confirmed patients only have mild acute respiratory illness, said the health chief.

Two other cases, a 55-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman confirmed on Wednesday, also had contact with the Taiwanese case at the wedding, according to the Philippine Department of Health ( DOH).

"DOH will continue to actively seek the contacts of all confirmed cases and assess their exposure and health status," Duque said, adding that all found to be ill must be tested for A/ H1N1 through a throat swab, and will be treated and managed accordingly.

Meanwhile, Duque said although there is an increasing number of cases being confirmed in the country, there is still no indication that there is sustained community transmission in the Philippines.

(Xinhua News Agency May 28, 2009)