Brazil's Health Ministry announced on Monday 25 new cases of A/H1N1 flu in the country, raising the total number of confirmed cases to 240.

Among the newly detected cases, 15 were reported in the state of Sao Paulo, three in Espirito Santo, three in Santa Catarina, two in the Federal District and one each in the states of Maranhao and Minas Gerais.

According to the ministry, 16 people caught the disease on Brazilian territory out of the total 240 infected.

It added that domestic transmission is limited as all of the 16 patients had had direct contacts with people who infected with the flu abroad.

There are currently 159 suspected cases of the A/H1N1 flu in Brazil, the ministry said.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 52,100 people have been infected with the A/H1N1 virus worldwide, causing 231 deaths.

(Xinhua News Agency June 23, 2009)