MANILA, Philippines – One of the Philippines' top universities has suspended classes for 10 days after a foreign student tested positive for swine flu, health officials said Wednesday.
The 21-year-old female exchange student at De La Salle University in Manila reported "very mild" symptoms on May 29, four days after classes started, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said.
La Salle, which opens earlier than other schools due to its trimester system, has about 13,000 students.
School authorities have informed the student's classmates and teachers to monitor themselves for symptoms at home during the June 4-10 suspension, Duque said.
He said authorities are tracing about 120 people who may have had contact with the student, who arrived in the country May 12.
Duque refused to identify the nationality of the student pending notification of her embassy. The school's Marketing and Communication Office, which handles public inquiries, refused to give other details about her.
Duque advised all other students, faculty and school personnel to avoid crowded areas "as a precautionary measure" during the period.
The foreign student is the 22nd confirmed swine flu case in the Philippines. Fourteen have recovered and been sent home, Duque said.
The World Health Organization said Tuesday the disease has spread to 64 countries and infected nearly 19,000 people, causing 117 deaths.
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