Argentine Health Minister Graciela Ocana said on Thursday that the number of confirmed cases of A/H1N1 flu in the country rose to 37 in the last hours, after confirming 18 new cases.

The Institute of Infection diseases Malbran has confirmed the 18 new cases of the virus, most of them children, Ocana told the press.

Ocana added that of 54 patients with symptoms, the Institute confirmed 18 and discarded 36.

Ocana also said that the sent samples of two more possible cases to the Institute.

Argentine Health Vice Minister Carlos Soratti said that Institute Malbran will analyze other 116 samples, most of them taken in two school of the capital and in other two school in other localities of Buenos Aires province.

According to the World Health organization (WHO), there are 13,398 confirmed cases in 48 countries.

(Xinhua News Agency May 29, 2009)