Cases of the A/H1N1 flu virus in Italy could increase next month, Italian Health Junior Minister Ferruccio Fazio warned Monday.
''Over the last few days there has been an increase of the virus at a world level: this may happen also in Italy, and the pandemic could continue to spread next month,'' he said.
Fazio said Italy would however benefit from the upcoming closure of schools for the holidays.
''That will eliminate a principle channel of contagion,'' he said.
A total of 50 cases have been reported in Italy so far, according ot the latest report from the World Health Organization (WHO).
WHO said that the flu has now spread to 73 countries with 25,288 cases worldwide, while the death toll has risen to 139.
All the fatalities have been in North, Central and South America with 106 in Mexico, where the flu outbreak began, 27 in the United States, three in Canada and one each in Costa Rica, Chile and the Dominican Republic.
According to the WHO figures, there are 557 cases in Britain, 291 cases in Spain, 63 in Germany and 58 in France.
