Influenza A has been confirmed among students in Thukimwa, ward 5 of Meringden Rural Municipality, Taplejung.

Most students and some teachers at Tribhuvan Secondary School and Janajyoti Elementary School had fallen ill, prompting the rural municipality to close schools for five days and conduct health tests.

According to Udaya Narayan Dulal, a lab technician at the District Health Office, swab tests of 16 individuals were conducted, with 10 testing positive for Influenza A.

The health division of Meringden Rural Municipality coordinated with the District Health Office to collect swab samples, which were sent to the Provincial Public Health Laboratory in Biratnagar.

As 80 percent of the students recover, schools will resume on Wednesday. Tribhuvan Secondary School’s principal Kamal Limbu said regular classes would resume.

“Eighty percent of students have already recovered,” Limbu said. “As the report confirmed the disease, everyone is more confident, and we will now reopen the school.”

As younger students study at Janajyoti and older ones at Tribhuvan Secondary School, the infection spread to both institutions, Limbu said. The rural municipality reported that many locals had also fallen ill. Health workers were deployed upon receiving information, and a decision was made to close the schools, said rural municipality chair Yuk Hanbir Hangam.

According to doctors, symptoms of the infection include fever, cough, sore throat, headache, nasal congestion, runny nose, body and muscle aches, and fatigue. The virus, which is more active in winter, can affect people of all ages and spreads through droplets from coughing, sneezing, or talking.

To prevent infection, people are advised to maintain physical distance from infected individuals, stay home if sick, cover their mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, wash hands with soap and water, remain physically active, and consume plenty of fluids.

A similar outbreak was previously reported in schools in ward 6 of Phaktanglung Rural Municipality, leading to their closure.