The Chinese mainland confirmed 31 new A/H1N1 flu cases on Sunday, bringing the total number of infections to 196 with no fatalities.

Southwestern province of Sichuan alone confirmed 10 new cases, eight of whom were tourists from the United States, the Ministry of Health said in a late on Sunday statement.

The Chinese capital Beijing and provinces of Fujian and Guangdong reported four new cases each from 6:00 PM on Saturday to 6:00 PM on Sunday.

Meanwhile, three new cases were reported in Hubei Province, two in Zhejiang Province and one each in Hunan, Shandong, Yunnan and Shanghai.

As of 10:00 PM on Saturday, 74 countries had confirmed 29,669 A/H1N1 flu cases, with 145 deaths, the statement said citing a World Health Organization report.

(Xinhua News Agency June 15, 2009)