MANILA -- Classes at a public high school in Bulacan province was postponed Monday, after eight students in the province were confirmed to have contracted the Influenza A (H1N1) virus.

The country's infection tally, including the eight confirmed cases in Doña Candelaria Meneses Doque National High School in Bulacan, Bulacan, neared 200.

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Health Secretary Francisco Duque said a total of 46 new cases were reported Monday, bringing the number of infections in the country to 193.

“We are still coordinating with the Department of Health (DOH) for confirmation and the update on the suspected H1N1 cases in the area as well as with school officials and the local government unit,” said Kenneth Tirado, public information officer of the Department of Education (DepEd).

Tirado reiterated the DepEd’s appeal for parents and schoolchildren not to panic over the reported cases, saying that authorities are on top of the situation despite the rising A (H1N1) cases in the country.

Last week, classes at the Hilera Elementary School in Jaen, Nueva Ecija were cancelled due to the A (H1N1) outbreak.

With 92 people in the village showing symptoms of A (H1N1), the DOH had declared a community outbreak and local officials spent Sunday and Monday assuring residents they have enough funds for medicines, thermometers, and disinfectants.

Three students from Ateneo High School in Quezon City were also suspected of being infected with the virus, forcing officials to postpone classes until June 22.

Cluster case

Hilera village is the first area in the country to be placed under the community outbreak status. Some 6.3 percent of the 1,622 people in the village are affected.

Earlier, Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said classes in public schools have started to normalize after the school opening of June 1 with the lapse of the 10-day incubation period for the A (H1N1) virus.

Lapus said the DOH and school authorities have taken measures to address the recently reported case at the Hilera Elementary School.

The Hilera case, according to him, is mild and the student has shown signs of recovery.

Health authorities are still at a loss as to how the student caught the virus as none of the students traveled abroad recently. But Mayor Santiago Austria said a non-government organization conducted a medical mission in the village last May 31.

The school in Jaen confirmed its first A (H1N1) case last Thursday.

Don’t panic

In Central Visayas, health authorities assured Monday that while an outbreak was declared in Jaen, Nueva Ecija, the region remains free from any community-wide threat of the H1N1 virus.

“The local government units (LGUs) should not panic right now and, by all means, avoid causing any public alarm. If they want to assume emergency powers, they should assess the local situation first,” said Dr. Cora-Lou Kintanar, Pandemic Influenza Incident Command spokesperson of DOH Central Visayas.

Once a community outbreak of the Influenza A (H1N1) hits Central Visayas, contact tracing in a community will stop to allow the agency to attend only to cases under observation (CUOs).

“If we would shift to our mitigation strategy, only the cases under observation (CUOs) would be swabbed. All the close contacts would just be advised to stay at home. If the number of cases were high, we could no longer do contact tracing,” she said.

Kintanar said this is what is happening in Jaen, Nueva Ecija, where local health officials have already switched to their mitigation strategy after eight out of 19 residents in the barangay fell ill with H1N1.

On Sunday, health officials confirmed a community outbreak in the barangay.

“It’s an outbreak of mild A (H1N1) cases,” said Health Secretary Duque in an official press release.

Kintanar said patients that do not have pre-existing conditions and close contacts may just “ride out” the virus at home.

“The virus is just a self-limiting virus. Even without medication, chances are, you can ride it out,” said Kintanar.

The DOH Central Visayas will meet with hospital officials within the week to plan the switch towards their mitigation approach against H1N1.

However, Kintanar admitted that the approach might prove to be difficult when health officials would need to retake swab samples of patients.

While no community transmission has been reported in Central Visayas, the health department said that an outbreak could still happen.

Possible

“There is still a big possibility because we have international airports and ports, so the virus can still get in,” said Kintanar.

The health department, likewise, advised LGUs to stay informed about any spread of the H1N1 virus in their locality and continuously provide information and education materials to their constituents.

“The LGUs could also provide logistic support for contact tracing. They could also help patients who do not have any money for the hospital expenses,” said Kintanar.

At the same time, the health department appealed to the public to avoid self-medication with oseltamivir. (EPB of Sun.Star Cebu/AP/Sunnex)