South Korea confirms 37 more swine flu cases

South Korea on Thursday confirmed an additional 37 cases of H1N1 influenza , thus bringing the total number of infections of the contagious disease in the country to 1,364.

The Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs said in an e-mailed statement that the government is intensifying efforts to brace for widespread infections after it upgraded its disease alert level to the second-highest against the new flu that has claimed hundreds of lives worldwide since it was first reported in late April. It seeks to stockpile enough vaccine to inoculate around 27 per cent of the nation's population against the virus.