Vietnamese health authorities on July 22 confirmed 32 new cases of the A/H1N1 influenza with up to 87 percent of them coming from southern provinces.

Of the new cases, 28 are from southern provinces, two from the north and two from the central region, according to the Health Ministry.

The central southern and central highlands provinces of Khanh Hoa, Ba Ria Vung Tau and Lam Dong have reported new cases of this potentially fatal flu among students living in Ho Chi Minh City who came back to their hometowns for summer vacation.

Viet Nam has recorded 475 cases of the H1N1 influenza but no deaths. Up to 70 percent of the total (or 332) have been successfully treated. The remaining 143 are now being kept in isolation but all are in stable condition, the ministry said.

There have been 143,841 confirmed cases of the flu around the world, of which 813 were fatal, said the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) on July 22./.