Another 54 Influenza A/H1N1 cases were confirmed on Tuesday in the Philippines, pushing the country's total to 247, health officials said.

Among the newly-found patients, 52 are Filipinos while the other two are foreigners, the Philippine Department of Health said in a press release, without telling the latter's nationalities.

Meanwhile, Health Secretary Francisco Duque told reporters that at the Hilera Elementary School in the northern province of Nueva Ecija province, 20 people tested positive for the flu virus while 194 others had mild Influenza-like illness. The school was closed and active disease surveillance has been conducted in three nearbyvillages that have been affected, he added.

No death has been reported in the country caused by the A/H1N1 virus.

(Xinhua News Agency June 17, 2009)