Japan's tally of A/H1N1 infections has exceeded 4,000, said the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry on Sunday.

According to the ministry, there have been no serious cases reported since the first infections in Japan were confirmed in May.

On May 9, three Osaka males were confirmed to be infected with the new A/H1N1 flu and they became the first confirmed cases of the new strain of influenza in Japan. And the number of the new-flu infections has been on the rise ever since.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday that it would stop tracking A/H1N1 cases as the pandemic was the fastest growing ever and it was pointless to count each case.

But the WHO called on countries to continue to report clusters of severe cases or deaths caused by the new virus or unusual clinical patterns.

(Xinhua News Agency July 19, 2009)