Brazil has confirmed two new cases of A/H1N1 flu, raising the total number of infected cases in the country to 40, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday.

Both the patients, who were from Santa Catarina state and the Federal District, were infected during international trips and had been quarantined at home, the ministry said.

Sao Paulo state, which has reported 17 confirmed cases, has the largest number of infected patients, followed by Rio de Janeiro state with nine and Santa Catarina state with six.

There are three confirmed cases in Tocantins state, two in Mato Grosso state, and one each in the states of Rio Grande do Sul, Minas Gerais, and in the Federal District.

Of the confirmed cases in Brazil, nine were infected through domestic transmission. All these nine patients had had close contact with people infected during international trips, according to the Health Ministry.

Meanwhile, there are 49 suspected cases in the country, and tests are being carried out to determine whether those patients are infected.

Worldwide, at least 25,288 people in 73 countries have been confirmed to be infected with the A/H1N1 flu virus, according to the latest WHO tally released on Monday.

(Xinhua News Agency June 10, 2009)