Updated: Four more cases of swine flu were confirmed Friday evening, taking the total to sixteen.

Health authorities had previously confirmed seven more cases of H1N1 swine flu, including a four-month-old baby and an eight-year-old Scottish girl visiting Gozo.

Parliamentary Secretary for the Elderly and Community Care, Mario Galea had announced earlier that there had been 11 confirmed cases of swine flu in Malta, two of which were located in Gozo.

The four-month-old baby was admitted to Gozo General Hospital along with an eight-year-old Scottish girl who is said to have contracted the virus when she had contact with other children in Scotland who had swine flu symptoms.

Other cases include a Maltese woman in her twenties, who has recently returned from England, three Maltese men aged 16, 22 and 23 who have recently returned Spain, and another 22 year old Maltese male who returned from Spain yesterday.

Symptoms of Influenza A H1N1 may include fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, joint pain, headache, chills and fatigue.

Anyone who is currently feeling any of the symptoms is urged not to go to hospital emergency departments or clinics, instead they should stay at home and contact a doctor, or contact the swine flu helpline on 21324086.

The World Health Organisations comprehensive advisory on how best to protect ourselves from becoming infected and what to do if we think we have caught the virus can be viewed by clicking this link.

The WHO advisory also answers a number of questions that may arise during the course of this current pandemic.