Five new A/H1N1 flu cases were reported in European countries within the last 24 hours, a European health agency said Thursday.

Three new cases were confirmed in Britain and one each in France and Belgium, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said in its daily situation report.

The cumulative number of confirmed cases of the A/H1N1 flu virus in the European Union (EU) and EFTA (European Free Trade Association) countries increased to 222, with 100 cases in Spain, 71 in Britain, 14 in France and 12 in Germany, the ECDC said.

Up to now, 16 European countries have reported A/H1N1 cases, including Belgium, which confirmed its first case with travel history to the United States, the ECDC added.

The ECDC publishes a daily situation report about A/H1N1 flu cases in the EU and EFTA countries based on official information from these countries.

(Xinhua News Agency May 14, 2009)