Chile said on Tuesday it has confirmed more than 10,000 cases of the H1N1 virus, the most cases identified in any South American country, although mortality remains low, Reuters reported.
The new virus has spread quickly across Chile during the winter, when seasonal flu usually hits its peak, killing 33 people so far, the health ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
Most of the flu cases have been reported in children and young adults under the age of 19, the ministry said.
The new flu strain has killed 137 people in neighboring Argentina, where health officials have closed schools and urged people to stay away from crowded places to halt its rapid spread.