People have a chat outside the Santo Tomas Hospital in Panama City on May 30, 2009. The Panamanian Health Ministry on Sunday confirmed 12 new cases of the A/H1N1 flu, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 148. [Xinhua]

The Panamanian Health Ministry on Sunday confirmed 12 new cases of the A/H1N1 flu, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 148.

Among the infected, 96 cases, or some 65 percent, are people aged under 15, the ministry said in a statement. The remaining 52 patients are aged between 15 to 49, it said.

The country's capital, Panama City, is the worst hit region with 124 cases, followed by the Atlantic province of Colom with 23 cases.

Eighty-one patients have recovered after medical treatment, while the remaining 67 patients are under medical quarantine to avoid further contagion.

The ministry urged residents to follow its hygiene recommendations, including regular hand washing, using face masks in crowded areas and visiting a doctor if any flu-like symptom emerges.

A woman buys a mask at a drugstore outside the Santo Tomas Hospital in Panama City on May 30, 2009. The Panamanian Health Ministry on Sunday confirmed 12 new cases of the A/H1N1 flu, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 148. [Xinhua]

(Xinhua News Agency June 1, 2009)