Two schools of Meringden rural municipality have closed upon the order of health officials in response to the sudden surge in illness among students.

Tribhuvan Secondary School of Thukimwa and Janajyoti Basic School located in Ward 5 of the same municipality, have temporarily shut down for three days after over 300 students showed symptoms of fever, cough, headache and stomach pain.

According to Kamal Limbu, the headmaster of Tribhuvan Secondary School, 150 students and 4 teachers of his school and almost everyone at Janajyoti School, along with a few community members, showed similar symptoms.

Health officials were deployed immediately after the closures, reports Udaya Kumar Yadav the acting chief management officer and head of health section of the rural municipality.

With the rapid spread of the illness and symptoms of fever, cough, body pain, runny nose, headache and stomachache, the authorities have suspected the outbreak as a viral influenza.

“We do not have a lab for sample-testing here. We will immediately send samples for lab testing,” says Yadav, adding that they have brought sample kits from Biratnagar to confirm the diagnosis.