Kuwait registered 443 new cases of A/H1N1 flu infections in the past week, bringing the total number to 1,779, official KUNA news agency reported Thursday.

Most of the cases were light and did not have to be hospitalized, the report quoted a release of Kuwaiti Health Ministry as saying.

To date, there were five deaths of the deadly virus in Gulf country, which has witnessed a spiraling rise in the number of infection in recent weeks.

The ministry said it has been operating in compliance with guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Fresh billboards on preventative measures against the virus have been erected on main streets and crossings in the country, which reported the largest number of flu cases among the six Gulf Arab nations.

A Xinhua photographer saw doctors conducting medical checkups at a French school in Kuwait City Wednesday as students of private schools returned to the classroom for the new semester.

Earlier, the Education Ministry decided to delay the opening of nurseries and kindergartens for two months, in a series of steps to stave off the lingering pandemic.