Egyptian health authorities announced on Saturday three new cases of influenza A/H1N1, bringing the number of such cases to 18 in the populous Arab country, Nile TV reported.

Three Egyptian citizens arrived from Canada and the United States were confirmed contracting the virus after the symptoms appeared on them when they lived in Sharqia in Delta area, the TV station reported.

They were hospitalized in Zakzik Central Hospital where they received Tamiflu and their conditions were stable.

Egypt on Friday announced three cases of A/H1N1 flu, they were two Egyptian citizens and one Syrian arrived from Canada, Sweden and the United States respectively.

On June 2, Egypt reported its first A/H1N1 influenza case, who was a 12-year-old Egyptian-American girl coming from the United States via the Netherlands.

Earlier, Egypt reported seven A/H1N1 flu cases at a dorm of the American University in Cairo (AUC) and the health ministry quarantined the dorm, which accommodates 110 students and 124 teachers, for seven days.

Egypt, the most populous Arab country that was hit hard by the fatal bird flu in 2006, decided in late April to cull all the pigs in the country to stem the highly infectious flu.

(Xinhua News Agency June 14, 2009)