PORT LOUIS, June 29 (Xinhua) -- The health ministry of Mauritius announced on Monday that the country had confirmed its first case of the A/H1N1 flu.

    Speaking at a press conference, Mauritius health minister Rajesh Jeetah said the patient is a French who arrived in Mauritius on Wednesday.

    The minister said his country has put all necessary measures in place so as to fight the epidemic.

    According to local media reports that the patient, after being quarantined for several days, is recovering well and expected to be allowed to leave his room later in the day.

    Once spared by the virus as it was ravaging the other parts of the world, the flu has been knocking at the doors of the African countries in the sub-Saharan region.

    At least five African countries in the region have so far reported confirmed cases of the flu, namely South Africa, Ethiopia, Cote d'Ivoire, Kenya and Mauritius.

    In mid this month, the World Health Organization (WHO) raised the Pandemic alert status from phase 5 to phase 6, which meant that the disease had reached the emergency level.

    According to the latest figures from the WHO website, there are 59,814 confirmed cases of the A/H1N1 around the world. 263 people have died of the disease.

Special Report:  World Tackles A/H1N1 Flu