HOUSTON, June 9 (Xinhua) -- Twenty-one new cases of A/H1N1 flu have been confirmed on board the USS Iwo Jima, bringing the total number of the confirmed cases in U.S. Navy to 147, said a Navy spokesman, quoted by Navy Times on Tuesday.

    Cmdr. Cappy Surette, a Navy spokesman at the Pentagon, said the 21 cases have been confirmed among 50 sailors and Marines who reported flu-like symptoms on board the amphibious assault ship Iwo Jima.

    "There's no operational impact. The cases were mild," Surette said, but admitted the number of confirmed cases could rise as more tests are completed.

    Last Tuesday, Surette said that 18 sailors had been confirmed as patients with A/H1N1 virus on the aircraft carrier Nimitz and some of the them were placed in medical isolation, despite the new cases are described as "mild."

    Surette also said Nimitz has been at sea on predeployment training, and the cases on board had not affected operations.

    Navy Times said there are no plans to take aggressive measures on board the USS Iwo Jima, such as treating the entire ship with Tamiflu, as was done on board the amphibious transport dock Dubuque.

    The Navy decided in mid-May to postpone the Dubuque's scheduled June 1 deployment after 28 confirmed cases of the A/H1N1 virus among the crew.

    "We know a lot more than we did then," Surette said, adding most of the 147 sailors confirmed with A/H1N1 virus have recovered and returned to duty.

    Navy Times has learned that the USS Iwo Jima is scheduled to return to Norfolk, Virginia, later this week.

Special Report:  World Tackles A/H1N1 Flu