52 new influenza A/H1N1 cases have been diagnosed in Israel over the weekend, local news service Ynet reported on Sunday, citing the country's Health Ministry.

The patients are in good condition, said the report, adding that the latest cases brought the total number of confirmed cases of the epidemic to 271 in the Jewish state since April.

On Thursday, Israel confirmed 39 new cases of A/H1N1 influenza, bringing its total number of confirmed cases to 219.

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.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has 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 the World Health Organization, 95 countries and regions have officially reported at least 44,287 cases of influenza A/H1N1 infection, including 180 deaths.

(Xinhua News Agency June 21, 2009)