The opening of classes will go on as scheduled on June 1 despite the confirmation of a second swine flu case in Manila, the Department of Health said on Monday. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the department is drawing up guidelines to prevent the spread of A(H1N1) virus in school and would continue monitoring the situation. “As of now, we see no need to cancel or postpone the June 1 opening of classes. But we are monitoring the situation every day,” he said in an interview on dzRH. Duque made the remark before meeting President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Education Secretary Jesli Lapus to talk to parents and teachers at a school in San Miguel to discuss the school opening. Arroyo is also due to discuss school preparations during a Cabinet meeting at the Department of Education head office on Tuesday.Duque said he is drawing up guidelines with teachers and school administrators on what steps to take to prevent A(H1N1) from spreading in schools. On Sunday, the Department of Health reported the second confirmed case of the A(H1N1) virus in the country. Duque said the second case is a 50-year-old Filipina who arrived from Chicago last May 20. The woman, whose identity was withheld, is under observation at the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine in Manila. The government is tracing those who made contacts with her. A 30-year-old Taiwanese woman and her five-year-old daughter who traveled in the Philippines for five days was reported to have tested positive for the virus in Taiwan. Last Thursday, the department reported that a 10-year-old girl who also came from US was the country's first case of the flu virus. The girl arrived in the Philippines last May 18 after a trip to the US and Canada. Duque said the child “is now almost fully recovered with only mild sore throat.”
