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More lawmakers are clamoring anew for the postponement of the scheduled opening of classes on June 1 in order to prevent the spread of A (H1N1) virus in the country, commonly known as the swine flu virus.

Among those who joined in the call is Marikina 1st  District Rep. Marcelino R. Teodoro who said that he is in favor on the move to postpone the June 1 opening of classes to avoid the possible spread of the virus.

Teodoro, who is also the Chairman of the House Committee on People Participation said, “Appropriate measures should be taken to evade further exacerbation of the situation. The Department of Health (DOH) should intensify its publicly released guidelines to prevent being infected by the virus along with the setting up of temperature reading areas in schools.”

If the scheduled opening of the classes pushes through , Teodoro said that children would be most susceptible to the virus and are at high risk when exposed to an infected individual during school days. “The DOH must inform the public of the severity of the virus once contracted so the public will be continuously vigilant and responsible once symptoms of the virus are spotted,” he said.

The DOH announced on Friday that the number of confirmed cases of influenza A (H1N1) virus in the country has reached to 14, from 10 on Thursday, and with 27 more new suspected H1N1 cases. The health department however, still advises the public not to be alarmed.

The health secretary is still confidence that the situation is manageable as the 14 cases of H1N1 in the country were all “mild form of influenza” and that patients are responding positively to treatment, adding that the Philippines still has no severe H1N1 case, and none of the patients has died.

Duque also said that they are not recommending the postponement of the opening of classes in public schools on June 1, because there is still no indication that “there is already sustained community transmission” of the virus in the country.