Hawai'i remained among states with no confirmed cases of swine flu, and more anti-flu medicine is on its way, officials said yesterday.

The state remains on the alert, however, and plans to continue stockpiling its supply of flu vaccine courses for the government as well as consumers, Gov. Linda Lingle said yesterday.

"We urge you to continue to follow health precautions," Lingle said. "Go on about your life, but follow the health instructions."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention yesterday reported 141 confirmed cases of swine flu nationwide, with 50 cases reported in New York alone. One person has died in Texas, according to the CDC.

Supplies from the CDC's stockpile are being sent to all 50 states and territories to help them respond to the outbreak, the CDC stated on its Web site.

Earlier in the week, the state investigated a handful of suspected cases, but they were cleared for swine flu, including one who had traveled to Mexico, said Janice Okubo, Department of Health spokeswoman. State health officials continue to investigate cases as they are reported, Okubo said.

In Hawai'i, health officials have stockpiled 172,000 courses of anti-viral treatment on O'ahu and another 46,000 courses should arrive next week, Lingle said. The stockpile is for the state to use in an emergency, Okubo said.

Also arriving next week will be test kits, so the state will not have to send out samples to the Mainland for confirmation, Lingle said.

However, the World Health Organization, which is the coordinating authority for health within the United Nations, may upgrade its warning level to stage six on Monday because the disease is spreading to other parts of the world. Maj. Gen. Robert Lee, adjutant general and director of the state Civil Defense, said the increased alert level is not because the strain is gaining in strength, but is expanding to more countries.

"It's a warning to other countries around the world," Lee said.

Yesterday, the WHO said 13 countries have officially reported 367 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection.

The state Department of Health continues to field calls from concerned residents. Most of the calls are from worried parents wondering if they should send their children to school, said Dr. Chiyome Fukino, state health director.

"We want you to be calm and know with certainty that all (levels) of government are working in partnership to keep the situation under control," Fukino said. "It is not necessary to keep your child home if he or she is not ill."