POKHARA: Laboratory test of swine in the Western Regional Hospital has come to a halt from Sunday. According to Dr Duk Bahadur Chhetri, a pathologist at the hospital, the tests were halted due to scarcity of test kits.

The tests were being carried out with the assistance of Walter Reed Efrim Research Unit of Nepal. Dr Chhetri said that the lab tests were stopped as 909 out of 1000 kits had been used. The patients are now forced to go to the capital for the test.

Meanwhile, Paschimanchal Hotel Association Pokhara has asked the locals and the tourists not to be terrified taking common cold as swine flu. Gobinda Raj Pahari, president of the association requested the people through a press release on Monday. The doctors themselves have accepted that swine flu in Pokhara has not spread widely.

The press release also mentioned that the samples collected from Pokhara were not yet confirmed by central lab in the capital. The Association, however, has urged the authority to take heed. Meanwhile, the Association maintained that the situation is not as scary as has been made public in the media. “No swine flu casualty has been reported in the city,” Pahari confirmed.

Schools on high alert

POKHARA: The schools in Pokhara remain at high alert after cases of swine flu were detected in school children. The schools have informed that the students, the guardians and the staffers had been made aware of the situation.

According to Gopi Krishna KC, president PABSON Kaski, no school had reported about their students falling sick. KC also informed that all the students at various schools were regular. Those who were on sick- leave have resumed their classes too.

PABSON has been asking the schools not to panic. The schools have handed over informative pamphlets to every student. KC also claimed that, in case of sickness, the students were asked to visit doctor immediately.

According to Mahendra Dhwoj Adhikari, chief District Public Health Office, all the public schools were asked to be on high alert. He informed that informative pamphlets were already sent to the District Education Office.