(Editor's note: Article below is from the June 4, 2009 online edition of The Manila TImes. Thanks to Frank Roxas for the heads-up!)

DLSU suspends classes after student gets killer flu

By Rommel C. Lontayao, Reporter

A foreign-exchange student at the De La Salle University (DLSU) in Manila tested positive for Influenza A(H1N1) infection, prompting school authorities to postpone classes for 10 days.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque 3rd said university officials imposed a temporary suspension of classes, after health authorities confirmed that one of its international students—a 21-year-old female—became infected with the dreaded flu.

“Starting tomorrow, June 4, classes will be suspended at the University and will last until June 14 in accordance with the guidelines set by the Department of Health,” said Duque, who lauded the school’s officials for following the department’s recommendations.

Under the Health department’s Response Level System, school administrators can announce the suspension of classes if there is already one or more confirmed case of A(H1N1) within the school or the community.

The latest infection brought the total number of confirmed cases of A(H1N1) cases in the Philippines to 22.

Latest case

In the case of the DLSU student, she arrived in the country on May 12 but only reported very mild symptoms on May 29—four days after classes at the university started.

“The student consulted a health facility on May 31 where she was examined and tested for the presence of the virus through a throat swab,” said Duque, who did not disclose what country the student came from before re-entering the country. “The specimen turned positive for A(H1N1) as confirmed [Wednesday] by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine.”

“The DOH is currently investigating and doing contact tracing to see if there were other exposed individuals related to this new case but initial findings reveal that there is very limited exposure of other students to the confirmed case and that both DOH and school authorities can trace them,” the secretary said.

The Health department has met with university officials and discussed possible actions to prevent the spread of the virus to other students, faculty and school staff.

Full cooperation

On the part of DLSU, Brother Armin Luistro, president and chancellor, assured health authorities of their full cooperation in the ongoing containment measures.

Luistro said the university has already informed students and faculty who were in the same class as the infected student to do self-monitoring of symptoms at home and to immediately report at designated hotlines if they become ill.

The Health department has also asked the students and staff of DLSU to temporarily avoid going to malls and other crowded areas during the period of class suspension.

“As a precautionary measure, although they do not belong to the affected classes, all other students, faculty and personnel of DLSU should consider self-monitoring and avoiding crowded gatherings as well,” Duque said.

Though classes are suspended, the university still kept the school clinic open for any consultation.

“Students and faculty are therefore advised to report any symptom at this clinic which will in turn refer the cases to designated DOH referral facilities when necessary,” Duque said, adding that students may also call the DLSU hotline at 526-5913 or the Health department at 711-1001.

Fourteen of the 22 people with confirmed A(H1N1) cases have recovered from the flu and have been discharged from hospital and sent home. Duque said the three previously reported confirmed cases were also to be discharged on Wednesday.

Since May 1, the Health department has monitored a total of 401 suspected cases of the dreaded flu virus. There were 56 new suspected cases under observation reported also on Wednesday. Of the total cases under observation, 301 turned out negative for A(H1N1), while 78 have pending laboratory results.

Another case of RP

Saudi Arabia said also on Wednesday it has quarantined a Filipina nurse who tested positive for the so-called swine flu several days after returning from holiday, the first case reported in the kingdom.

“The nurse returned on Friday from a holiday in the Philippines . . . On Monday symptoms started to appear . . . and test results came positive on Tuesday,” Health Minister Abdullah al-Rabia in a statement carried by the SPA state news agency.

He said the patient has been quarantined, and the Saudi authorities were contacting those who took the same flight or have been close to her since she returned.