The A/H1N1 new flu spreads further in Austria with 16 newly confirmed cases on Friday, with which the total confirmed cases amounts to 97 in Austria, Thomas Geiblinger, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health said.

Among the 16 newly confirmed patients, four were confirmed in Salzburg, two in Upper Austria, two in Carinthia, four in Vienna, two in Burgenland, and one in Styria and Tyrol respectively. Due to the mild symptoms, not all the patients were sent to hospital. Some of them were immediately released for home care.

But most of the patients in Austria have only very mild symptoms, many of whom don't even have a fever, according to Geiblinger.

Most of the patients are young men, who had come back from their vacation in Majorca, Gran Canaria, Brazil, U.S., Scandinavia, Italy and Britain. Geiblinger said that all of them are doing well.

In addition, the German Press Agency (DPA) said on Friday that within 24 hours, 1,671 new infections with the H1N1 virus were reported in Europe. There were also two new deaths, in Hungary and from Britain respectively. In the 31 countries that joined the EU and EFTA, altogether 19,404 cases were officially registered as of July 23.

(Xinhua News Agency July 25, 2009)