KIMBERLY JANE TAN, GMANews.TV
06/06/2009, 10:59 AM
MANILA, Philippines — Alarmed by the rising number of A(H1N1) cases in the country, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) announced on Saturday that it has moved the start of college classes to June 15.
CHED Chairman Emmanuel Angeles said the one-week period will give enough time for students who came from abroad to quarantine themselves.
“Ang dahilan dito ay marami tayong foreign students na nag-aaral sa ating bansa na nanggagaling sa iba't ibang bansa na merong mga swine flu victims (The reason for this is that there are many foreign students and students who came from countries that are exposed to swine flu)," Angeles said on government-run dzRB radio.
Earlier, De La Salle University suspended classes for one week after some students tested positive for A(H1N1). The threat also prompted other universities to postpone classes.
In the case of private elementary and high schools, the Department of Education (DepEd) said it was giving school administrators the leeway to decide when to begin classes, so long as they complete the required number of school days.
Public elementary and high schools, on the other hand, started classes on June 1 as the Department of Health (DOH) rejected calls for a postponement of school opening, warning that it would only cause unnecessary panic.
On Friday, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III reported that the number of A(H1N1) cases in the country has risen to 33, giving the Philippines the dubious distinction of having the most number of swine flu cases in Southeast Asia.
According to the World Health Organization, the disease has spread to 69 countries, infecting nearly 22,000 people and causing 125 deaths, mostly in Mexico.
All of the 33 infected individuals in the Philippines have shown mild symptoms, though, said the DOH.
Other reasons
Officials, however, said it’s not just the A(H1N1) threat that prompted their decision to postpone the opening of classes.
Angeles said a second reason was the inclement weather in past days, with non-stop monsoon rains swamping a large part of Luzon Island, including Metro Manila.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) even warned the public on Saturday that the weather will continue to be unpredictable.
Angeles said a third good reason to postpone classes is to make life easier for many parents of college students who were unable raise enough money to pay tuition. June 15 falls on a pay day and may give them time to pay tuition.
“It will not adversely affect the schedule of classes," Angeles added.
Like an ‘ordinary’ disease
As the number of people being quarantined continue to increase, the DOH indicated Saturday that it will soon treat A(H1N1) as an “ordinary" flu.
Health Secretary Duque said the government may run out of resources if it continues with its containment policy in dealing with the problem.
“Ituturing itong parang karaniwang trangkaso na lamang. Mahirap naman tayo babantayan mo lahat yan (We may regard it as just an ordinary case of the flu. It’s so hard to keep close tabs on all suspected cases of AH1N1)," Duque said in an interview on dzBB radio.
Duque indicated the shift in policy may start as early as this coming week.
On Friday, Duque confirmed the number of A(H1N1) cases had shot up to 33, but maintained there is no outbreak of the disease in the country.
He said the present policy of containment involves thermal scans, health alert notices, self-quarantine, isolation, and laboratory diagnostics.
“Baka kailangan punta tayo sa mitigation (We may have to shift to a policy of mitigation)," he said, referring to a policy where patients with symptoms just go see a doctor.
He said the mitigation policy has already been adopted in developed countries such as the United States, Canada, and Japan.
Meanwhile, Duque has ordered an investigation into a bank’s quarantining some floors in its Makati City office without confirming cases of A(H1N1) first.
“Pinaimbestigahan ko ang report na yan ... Tingin namin walang batayan yan, ‘wala silang kumpirmadong kaso. Kailangan ikumpirma muna (I had it investigated. I think it had no basis to act like that, because there were no confirmed AH1N1 cases)," he said.
On the other hand, Duque said he respects the decision of some schools to postpone the opening of their classes due to A(H1N1).
But he said the response level system formulated by government is already in place. He said De La Salle University in Manila followed the system when it suspended classes for one week. - GMANews.TV
From GMANews.tv; see the source article here.
06/06/2009, 10:59 AM
MANILA, Philippines — Alarmed by the rising number of A(H1N1) cases in the country, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) announced on Saturday that it has moved the start of college classes to June 15.
CHED Chairman Emmanuel Angeles said the one-week period will give enough time for students who came from abroad to quarantine themselves.
“Ang dahilan dito ay marami tayong foreign students na nag-aaral sa ating bansa na nanggagaling sa iba't ibang bansa na merong mga swine flu victims (The reason for this is that there are many foreign students and students who came from countries that are exposed to swine flu)," Angeles said on government-run dzRB radio.
Earlier, De La Salle University suspended classes for one week after some students tested positive for A(H1N1). The threat also prompted other universities to postpone classes.
In the case of private elementary and high schools, the Department of Education (DepEd) said it was giving school administrators the leeway to decide when to begin classes, so long as they complete the required number of school days.
Public elementary and high schools, on the other hand, started classes on June 1 as the Department of Health (DOH) rejected calls for a postponement of school opening, warning that it would only cause unnecessary panic.
On Friday, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III reported that the number of A(H1N1) cases in the country has risen to 33, giving the Philippines the dubious distinction of having the most number of swine flu cases in Southeast Asia.
According to the World Health Organization, the disease has spread to 69 countries, infecting nearly 22,000 people and causing 125 deaths, mostly in Mexico.
All of the 33 infected individuals in the Philippines have shown mild symptoms, though, said the DOH.
Other reasons
Officials, however, said it’s not just the A(H1N1) threat that prompted their decision to postpone the opening of classes.
Angeles said a second reason was the inclement weather in past days, with non-stop monsoon rains swamping a large part of Luzon Island, including Metro Manila.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) even warned the public on Saturday that the weather will continue to be unpredictable.
Angeles said a third good reason to postpone classes is to make life easier for many parents of college students who were unable raise enough money to pay tuition. June 15 falls on a pay day and may give them time to pay tuition.
“It will not adversely affect the schedule of classes," Angeles added.
Like an ‘ordinary’ disease
As the number of people being quarantined continue to increase, the DOH indicated Saturday that it will soon treat A(H1N1) as an “ordinary" flu.
Health Secretary Duque said the government may run out of resources if it continues with its containment policy in dealing with the problem.
“Ituturing itong parang karaniwang trangkaso na lamang. Mahirap naman tayo babantayan mo lahat yan (We may regard it as just an ordinary case of the flu. It’s so hard to keep close tabs on all suspected cases of AH1N1)," Duque said in an interview on dzBB radio.
Duque indicated the shift in policy may start as early as this coming week.
On Friday, Duque confirmed the number of A(H1N1) cases had shot up to 33, but maintained there is no outbreak of the disease in the country.
He said the present policy of containment involves thermal scans, health alert notices, self-quarantine, isolation, and laboratory diagnostics.
“Baka kailangan punta tayo sa mitigation (We may have to shift to a policy of mitigation)," he said, referring to a policy where patients with symptoms just go see a doctor.
He said the mitigation policy has already been adopted in developed countries such as the United States, Canada, and Japan.
Meanwhile, Duque has ordered an investigation into a bank’s quarantining some floors in its Makati City office without confirming cases of A(H1N1) first.
“Pinaimbestigahan ko ang report na yan ... Tingin namin walang batayan yan, ‘wala silang kumpirmadong kaso. Kailangan ikumpirma muna (I had it investigated. I think it had no basis to act like that, because there were no confirmed AH1N1 cases)," he said.
On the other hand, Duque said he respects the decision of some schools to postpone the opening of their classes due to A(H1N1).
But he said the response level system formulated by government is already in place. He said De La Salle University in Manila followed the system when it suspended classes for one week. - GMANews.TV
From GMANews.tv; see the source article here.
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