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HAVANA: Cuba on Monday confirmed its first case of Influenza A (H1N1) flu virus, carried by a Mexican student, officials said.
He was one of a group of 14 Mexicans studying in Havana who were tested for the disease, the health ministry said in a statement.
The students arrived in Cuba on April 25 and were monitored after showing symptoms. Local television said "all but one" were in good health.
"All the students have been tested. Until now, the tests have resulted in one confirmed case of the A (H1N1) virus," according to a statement read on television.
The Health Ministry said sanitary agencies in Cuba have tested 84 people from eight nationalities with suspected symptoms and 500 others who came into contact with them.
"We will continue to undertake a rigorous epidemiological study and adopt preventative measures," the ministry said.
Cuba suspended direct flights to Mexico on April 29. There are frequent flights between the two countries, with Mexico providing an important gateway for Cubans to reach the rest of the world.
On Monday, the World Health Organization's (WHO) death toll from the virus passed 50, and the first case was reported on the Chinese mainland.
China had previously confirmed one case, a Mexican national, in the semi-autonomous southern city of Hong Kong.
US health officials reported that the 2,600 confirmed cases across the United States represented just the tip of the iceberg of actual infections.
Most of the 4,694 cases confirmed by the WHO have involved relatively mild symptoms and the virus has so far proved to be treatable with anti-viral drugs, such as Tamiflu.
In Mexico, where the epidemic first came to light, Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova said the infection toll stood at 2,059, with the country's 56 deaths "equivalent to 2.7 per cent of all cases".
- AFP/so
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