MYAGDI: Myagdi residents have begun panic-buying masks and visiting local health facilities as the number of common cold and fever patients has been rising dramatically within the past couple of days.

Although the government officials have been telling not to panic, many schools have been shut fearing the influenza. Among other places, such patients, specially students, have been frequenting Darbang, Singa, Bhurung and Tatopani areas.

Issuing separate notices, the school administrations of Janapriya Higher Secondary and KV Academy of Darbang shut down the schools for five days. According to Diwakar Subedi, teacher of Janapriya School, the closure of the school is prompted by the suspicion of swine flu as majority of students showed symptoms of headache, fever and common cold.

Likewise, Myagdi Academy of Singa VDC has also been shut from the past two days. Birendra Baniya, school accountant, said that they decided to shut the school as the guardians were in panic after the rumour of swine flu.

Lum Bahadur Thapa, district member of Private and Boarding Schools Organisation Nepal, said that they were in dilemma whether to immediately resume the classes in the shut schools. The schools in the district headquarters and in the adjoining areas have been shut from the past four days.

Ruling out immediate resumption of classes, he said, "Health and life mean more than study at this juncture.''

Bhim Prasad Acharya, health assistant at District Hospital (DH), informed that many such patients had still been visiting the hospital, though the number was a few less than the previous days. According to him, the DH has asked the private health facilities to maintain records of such patients.

Dr Lal Bahadur Malla informed that they had sent medicines to all the health facilities of the rural areas. "We cannot say anything about the disease whether it is seasonal influenza or swine flu until we receive the lab test report.''

No entry to Parbat folks: Syangja CDO

SYANGJA: Local administration in Syangja has urged the neighbouring Parbat authorities to prevent Parbat residents' admission to the district. Chief District Officer (CDO) Nandikeshar Tripathi said that he had urged the Parbat CDO not to allow the Parbat dwellers those residing in bordering areas to enter Syangja. Such a decision is taken even as there has been unprecedented rise in fever and common cold patients in the district.

In the wake of the panic, many students in the district headquarters are simply scared to go to their schools. Meanwhile, DPHO Syangja organised an awareness programme today.

Dr Taranath Poudel, chief at district hospital, urged the locals not to be terrorised as no swine flu patients had been diagnosed in the district so far. However, he urged the locals to adopt necessary precautions against the swine flu. —HNS