The Department of Health (DOH) said Wednesday that it will no longer conduct daily press briefings to ease the influenza A(H1N1) virus scare due to the fast rising number of confirmed cases in the country.

Radio dzMM reported that according to Yolanda Oliveros, director of the DOH National Disease Prevention and Control, the daily press briefings are being called off because it has added to the people's fear of the new influenza virus.

Oliveros said that instead of the people calming down on the new influenza virus issue, the daily press briefings have somehow made people more scared of the virus.

The radio report said that according to Oliveros, the DOH will instead hold twice weekly influenza updates.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque announced Tuesday that the country's confirmed A(H1N1) cases have risen to 54. On Tuesday night, the Ateneo de Manila High School confirmed that its three students have been infected with the virus, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 57.

The College of Saint Benilde (CSB) in Manila and Saint Andrew's School in Parañaque also have confirmed cases each, forcing the two schools to move the start of classes.

On Tuesday, Duque said six more De la Salle University-Taft students have been infected with the virus, bringing the total number of infected students of the school to 13. The DLSU, a sister school of CSB, was the first school to suspend classes due to A(H1N1).

No need to wear masks

At a press conference, Duque said the DOH is expecting the number of confirmed cases in the country to increase "because of the aggressive contact tracing" of the health department.

He also reiterated that the public should be scared of the virus because so far, all of the confirmed cases are infected with a mild form of influenza.

“We repeat that there is no need to wear masks, quarantine entire rooms or floors and suspend business activities.  I reiterate, however, that all businesses should have a contingency plan to ensure the continuity of their operations,” Duque said.

The health secretary has asked members of the media to stop describing the influenza A(H1N1) virus as dreaded, deadly or fatal.

"Let us not call it dreaded, deadly or fatal. It's not true. This is a mild form of influenza illness. We should be responsible in giving information," Duque said.

He said the scary adjectives used to describe the new influenza virus may create an "epidemic of misinformation," which, he said, is more frightening.

Duque blamed the panic at the Calumpang Elementary School in Marikina City to the misinformation about the new influenza virus.

"We are becoming a part of the problem instead of becoming a part of the solution," the health secretary said.

The elementary school's classes were suspended on Monday after parents panicked over rumors of an infected Grade 6 female pupil.

It was later learned that the pupil, who was rushed to a hospital in Manila, was stricken with diphtheria, not A(H1N1).

Since May 1, the DOH has monitored 599 cases under observation. As of June 9, 148 have pending laboratory results.

Worldwide, the virus has infected 25,288 people from 73 reporting countries. The virus has killed 139 people, majority of whom from Mexico.