BATANGAS – Twenty five children with age ranging from 10-months to 13-years old have tested positive for Influenza A (H1N1) infection after undergoing emergency medical check-up in a village in Nasugbu town last Saturday, a health official said Friday.
 
Dr. Myron Duque, Batangas provincial health office OIC, said his staff conducted swab tests on 27 students and residents of Barangay Banilad last weekend. Of the 27, 24 turned up positive for the virus. A 10-month old brother of a student was also tested and turned out to be positive.
 
Duque said he ordered the tests after students of Banilad Elementary School experienced flu-like symptoms last week.
 
“Aside from the students, some residents of the barangay volunteered their other children to undergo a swab test upon learning of the medical procedure at the school,” Duque said.
 
He said officials suspended classes at the school and instructed all affected victims to stay in their respective houses after giving them vitamin C, paracetamol and Tamiflu.
 
Duque said the virus could have been acquired by one of the student’s parents who had just arrived from Texas, USA.
 
“It's possible that the child got the infection from hs dad and spread it among his classmates," he said.

Duque said they already conducted information dissemination about the virus and distributed medicines to the residents of Barangay Banilad. “So far, we have already tested 81 people all over Batangas province since last month and only 30 people turned out to be positive," the health official said.