MYAGDI: Myagdi District Hospital sent samples of saliva and blood of 16 common cold patients for carrying out lab test to the National Public Health Laboratory in Teku, Kathmandu today.

The district dwellers have been living with fear after the number of patients of fever and common cold has been increasing in the district. Their fear is understandable since some people were tested positive to swine flu in neighbouring Parbat district recently.

Bhim Prasad Acharaya, health assistant at the hospital, said that they had sent the samples for lab test in order to confirm whether the locals were affected by the pandemic swine-flu virus. The patients have shown similar symptoms like that of the swine flu such as headache, fever and common cold. The lab test results are expected by Sunday.

A medical team that arrived here from the capital said that they would also collect some samples from Myagdi and Baglung districts. Dr Bishworaj Khanal, the team leader, informed that they would divide the team into two and one team would return to Kathmandu and the other would collect samples from the patients in Baglung.

According to the hospital, more than 300 patients of common cold and fever visited the hospital today due to the fear of swine flu. Dr Khanal urged the local not to be terrorised as the swine-flu seen in Nepal was not that dangerous. Due to the panic, all education institutions in the district have been shut till Thursday.

Meanwhile, a report from Itahari said that a private school in the Sunsari district headquarters Inaruwa had been closed for one week as most of the students suffered from common cold and fever.

Janaksmriti Boarding School of Inaruwa has been shut due to the students' health hazards, said principal Niraj Nepal.

According to Sunsari District Hospital, though the school has been shut in fearing the spread of swine flu virus, the medical test showed that the disease was not the swine flu. Doctor Saroj Yadav informed that the student had been suffering from viral influenza.