The Colombian government on Thursday announced that it has tightened control at hospitals and health centers after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared influenza A/H1N1 had developed into a pandemic.

Social Protection Minister Diego Palacio requested the health organizations to treat all severe flu cases or respiratory infection as possible cases of A/H1N1 flu.

Palacio said possible patients will be immediately tested to determine if they are positive of the deadly flu, which currently has infected 34 people in the country, including one death.

Meanwhile, Colombian education authorities decided to advance the break in a school, where studies the dead patient's son.

(Xinhua News Agency June 12, 2009)