Lebanon confirms three swine flu cases

Three cases of swine flu have been diagnosed in Lebanon, the first in the country, Health Minister Mohammad Jawad Khalifeh announced on Friday.

"One Lebanese and two Canadians who arrived in Lebanon a week ago are suffering from swine flu. We put them in quarantine and the blood samples we have taken every day have proven to be positive," he said.

Figures released on Friday by the World Health Organisation showed that the A(H1N1) virus had infected 15,510 people in 53 countries since it was first uncovered last month in the United States and Mexico.

Khalifeh last month advised his fellow citizens to stop kissing as a way of avoiding swine flu.