Germany reports first case of swine flu

German medical authorities have confirmed a case of swine flu in Bavaria, the health ministry of the southern state said yesterday.

"The Robert Koch institute, (a federal agency for infectious diseases), has confirmed swine flu in one of the suspected cases in Bavaria," the ministry said in a statement.

Authorities said the infected man, the first publicly confirmed case in Germany, had recently been in Mexico and was from Mallersdorf near the city of Regensburg.

There are six other suspected cases of swine flu in Germany - one in Hamburg, two further cases in Bavaria and three in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

The new H1N1 virus has been confirmed around the world but Mexico remains the only country with deaths - 159 by the government's estimate - and the epicentre of the outbreak.