News: A(H1N1) OUTBREAK CON suspends classes

            As a response to the first confirmed case of A(H1N1) in St. Martin de Porres building, the UST College of Nursing suspended classes from June 22 to 29 after a one-week class which had started on June 15.

The University of Santo Tomas rescheduled the opening of classes to June 15 as a precautionary measure after the influenza A (H1N1) outbreak in the Philippines last summer. Being a highly communicable infection, the number of infected persons quickly rose and caused panic among the people.

To prevent the spread of A(H1N1), the university declared a 10-day quarantine period to any students or faculty who came from abroad prior to the beginning of classes. On the first day of classes, necessary reminders to avoid the transmission of the disease were given to the students. “Red fans” and posters containing precautionary measures were handed out and posted correspondingly; the most prominent notice was the poster displayed at the entrance of St. Martin de Porres Bldg.

The delay of the classes significantly affected the academic calendar for this school year, and necessary adjustments had to be made by both the students and the faculty. Despite said adjustments and the shortened time frame, the lectures of the topics needed for the grading period were still completed and discussed effectively.

By Leah de Guzman