Schools closed for three days after flu threat in Saptari district

Rajbiraj, September 14

After confirmation of swine flu and Hong Kong flu cases, authorities in Saptari’s Kanchanrup Municipality have declared the municipality a crisis-hit zone and decided to temporarily close schools from Sunday.

“As new flu cases are being detected, we decided to shut schools for three days and declare the municipality a crisis-hit zone,” said Mayor Basanta Kumar Mishra, adding an emergency meeting of the municipality took a decision to this effect yesterday.

So far, four persons, including three minors, have lost their lives over the period of past three weeks in Kanchanrup Municipality alone. “Though they died after showing symptoms of flu, we can’t attribute the deaths to either swine flu or Hong Kong flu without blood test,” said Yadav.

Lately, 11 persons have tested positive for either swine flu or Hong Kong flu. While six Hong Kong flu cases were detected in Hanumannagar Kankalini Municipality, one swine flu and four Hong Kong flu cases were detected in Kanchanrup Municipality.

The cases were confirmed after blood samples were collected during a health camp in Hanumannagar Kankalini and Kanchanrup municipalities last week. Report of the remaining eight samples has yet to come.

Meanwhile, health camps have been set up in Kanchanrup-2, 4 and 7 for the treatment of patients following a decision to this effect by the yesterday’s emergency meeting of the District Natural Disaster Rescue Committee. Doctors from Dharan-based BP Koirala Institute of Health and Sciences and local health post are said to be involved in the treatment.