Bermuda's first case of swine flu has actually been classed as a US case, since the patient was from there, according to the Minister of Health.

Nelson Bascome also sought to assure locals that the case was contained, and it is unlikely that there will be more until cooler weather comes.

The swine flu case was revealed on June 1. Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Cann said that a 13-year-old visitor from the US had been seen in the emergency room at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (KEMH) around two weeks before.

He was kept in isolation overnight, then released back to his hotel where he spent a further day in isolation before being allowed to travel home.

Updating the House of Assembly on Friday, Mr. Bascome said the young man made a full recovery after returning home, and no family members or contacts in Bermuda developed any symptoms. No further cases have been reported on the Island since.

Mr. Bascome said: "The Department of Health has notified the appropriate international health authorities and following discussions between the UK and World Health Organisation Europe, they have decided that the case should be classed as a US case and not as a Bermuda or UK case since the patient was a US citizen who had recently arrived from the USA and returned there before diagnosis was confirmed."

He added: "Based on the information we have on hand, we have no reason to consider that this form of influenza is any different than that we normally see during flu season. With the warm weather coming on it is highly likely that we will not see many cases in Bermuda until the fall."

He promised to continue to keep the public informed.

The teenage flu victim's home state and the hotel he stayed at have not been revealed. However, Mr. Bascome said: "I would like to thank the management of the hotel, the staff at KEMH and Department of Health staff for the professionalism and efficiency they showed in ensuring that this was handled appropriately and neither the family or local community experienced any negative consequences."

A total of 62 countries have officially reported 17,410 cases of influenza A (H1N1) infection, including 115 deaths. All 50 US states have now recorded cases of swine flu following a widespread outbreak of the virus in neighbouring Mexico in April.