Schools will close for three days from Sunday in Kanchanrup and Hanumannagar Kankalani municipalities in Saptari district because of the outbreak of swine flu and Hong Kong flu, officials said on Saturday.

An emergency meeting of the Kanchanrup Municipality declared the municipality a disaster-hit area and decided to close the schools, the municipality Mayor Basanta Mishra told RSS. The municipality urged residents to remain alert and follow preventive measures to stop the flu viruses from spreading.

Mayor Mishra said the decision to close schools is to pre-empt the probability of the virus spreading among students. Schools shall remain closed until the flu prevails.

Health check-up camps have been set up at various places after scores of citizens reported symptoms of high fever, cough and cold in the two municipalities as well as in Mahadeva rural municipality. People suffering from cough and fever in the municipality area were found to be carrying the H1N1 (Swine flu) and H3N2 (Hong Kong flu) virus.

From the 24 samples sent to Kathmandu, one person was found suffering from Swine flu and 10 from Hong Kong flu, according to chief of district public health office, Saptari Niranjan Prasad Yadav.  Five victims have died so far.