Israel on Thursday confirmed 39 new cases of A/H1N1 influenza, bringing its total number of cases to 219, local news service Ynet reported.

The newly-detected patients are in good condition and have been quarantined at their homes, said the report, without giving information on how they were infected.

Israel has recently witnessed a rapid increase of A/H1N1 cases. Previous reports indicated that while most cases were imported from overseas, the number of patients who contracted the virus within the nation was also on the rise.

Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) raised the A/H1N1 alert to phase six, its highest level, formally declaring that it had developed into a global pandemic.

According to the latest tally by WHO, 76 countries and regions have officially reported at least 35,928 cases of A/H1N1 influenza infection, including 163 deaths.

(Xinhua News Agency June 19, 2009)