Akhir 18, 1432 / March 23, 2011, SPA -- At least 100 new cases of the A/H1N1 influenza have been confirmed in Venezuela this year, Venezuelan Health Minister Eugenia Sader said on Tuesday. He said that three of each 10,000 people are vulnerable to infection of this particular type of influenza, Sader said at a press conference, and urged all Venezuelan with symptoms of this disease to immediately report to health centers. The A/H1N1 influenza can be deadly if not treated early, Xinhua reported. She also said vaccinations are only authorized for children and elders, who are considered the groups of people most vulnerable to the virus, but ruled out any need for the government to issue an epidemiological alert. The most affected areas so far is Venezuela's south-eastern state of Merida, where 56 cases have been reported, followed by Miranda state with 19 and Caracas with 12 cases. Carabobo state has reported five cases, Guarico four, Anzoategui three and Amazonas three. Education Minister Jennifer Gil, meanwhile, said that the school calendar in Merida will be changed and school activities have been suspended until declared free of any threat from the A/H1N1 influenza, which since 2009 have killed some 18,500 people in more than 200 counties.
