Britain's Department of Health confirmed 42 new cases of A/H1N1 flu infections on Saturday, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 528.

A Department of Health statement said 19 further patients under investigation in England had been confirmed infected with the new flu. Together with the 22 cases in Scotland announced by the Scottish Executive on Friday and the one case in Northern Ireland announced by the Northern Ireland Government on Friday, this brought the current total number of confirmed UK cases to 528.

"The localized cases of swine flu found in the UK have so far been generally mild, and we have not seen evidence of widespread community transmission," said a spokesperson from the Health Department.

"We are continuing to work to slow the spread of the disease and to put in place arrangements to ensure that the UK is well-placed to deal with this new infection," added the spokesperson.

The Health Department pledged to be prepared for the possibility of a global pandemic.

(Xinhua News Agency June 7, 2009)