MANILA - Two universities in Manila have deferred the opening of classes next week to make sure that their faculty members and students are free of the influenza A(H1N1) virus.

Advisories from the University of Santo Tomas (UST) and Far Eastern University (FEU) said they are deferring the opening of classes to June 15 and June 17, respectively, due to the A(H1N1) scare.

"As a precautionary measure against influenza A (H1N1) and in order to allow students, support staff, faculty members and administrators who arrived from travel abroad to voluntary quarantine, the University of Santo Tomas defers the opening of classes...," Father Isidro Abano, UST's secretary-general, said in the advisory.

Archbishop Miguel Carpio, vice-president for academic affairs of FEU, meanwhile, assured that the university is A(H1N1) free, "but FEU is taking the necessary preventive measures."

The Commission on Higher Education had set the opening of classes of colleges and universities on June 8.

The two universities decided to defer the opening of classes after two Japanese students of the De La Salle University (DLSU) in Taft Avenue, Manila tested positive for the new influenza virus.

The DLSU-Manila suspended its classes for 10 days, which started Wednesday, after discovering its first confirmed A(H1N1) case. The 10-day suspension of classes will end June 14.

Students in the same classes attended by the Japanese students have been advised to undergo flu-tests and to go on self-quarantine.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque announced Thursday that there were seven new confirmed A(H1N1), including the second DLSU student. There are now 29 confirmed cases in the Philippines.

One of the seven new cases is a 52-year-old Filipina executive of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), who arrived last week from the US.

Duque advised ADB employees who came into contact with the patient to go on self-quarantine.

"She's being quarantined. The ADB has indicated that they are following their own guidelines, [the] WHO [guidelines], as well as DOH in doing contact tracing. They have identified people who had contact with the executive from the time she began to develop the symptoms," Duque said.

He said all 29 cases showed mild flu-like symptoms.