LONDON - Nine new cases of H1N1 flu in Britain were confirmed by health authorities on Saturday, taking its overall total to 48.

The Department of Health said seven of the cases were in London, while one was in central England. The ninth confirmed case of the new virus was in Scotland.

The new cases came a day after officials in London said British scientists had produced the first genetic fingerprint of H1N1 flu in Europe, following a similar breakthrough in North America.

"So far all infections in the United Kingdom have been mild, and cases have been diagnosed and treated early," a spokeswoman for the Department of Health said.

"This reduces the severity of symptoms, and helps to limit the spread," she added. "But we must not be complacent. It is right to prepare for the possibility of a global pandemic."

Of the nine new cases, three are adults and the others schoolchildren.

- AFP /ls