BEIJING, June 11 -- Argentina is taking a series of measures to prevent the A/H1N1 virus from further spreading, Juan Carlos Bossio, an official with the Argentine ministry of Health, told Xinhua on Tuesday.

    Soundbite: Juan Carlos Bossio, an official with the Argentine ministry of health "At present, while monitoring closely seasonal respiratory diseases, we are making preparations for a looming large-scale outbreak of the A/H1N1 flu. Since the World Health Organization announced the new virus, we've adopted a series of actions. As the director of the Disease Prevention and Control Center of the Ministry of Health, I've warned 24 administrative regions nationwide against the further spreading of the new influenza."

    With the fast spreading of the A/H1N1 flu across the world, Argentina has become one of the South American countries that have been hit severely by the virus.

    Soundbite: Juan Carlos Bossio, an official with the Argentine ministry of health "We'll focus on foreign tourists from A/H1N1-rampant countries in the next period. Argentina is not the place where the A/H1N1 flu flared up, but the new virus has entered our country for a few weeks. So we've equipped the airports with temperature detectors to test whether foreign tourists have the A/H1N1 flu symptoms."

    "We are strengthening communications between health authorities and the public. Besides, we've also set up quarantine wards inside hospitals in Buenos Aires and other major cities."

    Argentina had reported a total of 235 A/H1N1 flu cases as of Monday, the second highest number in South America following Chile.

    Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Buenos Aires. (XHTV)

Special Report:  World Tackles A/H1N1 Flu