KATHMANDU, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- A private school here has been shut down as preventative measures against possible outbreak of A/H1N1 flu as "common cold" and "high fever" spread amidst teachers and students.

    The Mount Olives High School in Sinamangal which is near to the Tribhuvan International Airport that has more than 400 students was closed for five days as of Tuesday.

    The decision came after a large number of students and teachers complained of "common cold" and " high fever." "Since our school is near airport, there is the chance of infecting with the influenza," said princial Laba Kumar Shrestha on Friday.

    In the beginning, only eight of students from grade 10 had common cold and then the cases ratcheted up to 15 including those living at school hostel, Shrestha told Xinhua.

    "We want to protect children studying at nursary level so we decide to close the school for a few days," he added.

    According to the principal, not only the students but also five of the teachers caught cold. The school principal has urged parents to send their kids to school on Sunday with masks.

    Meanwhile, the school is consulting authorized hospitals and health workers about the symptoms of influenza A/H1N1 and preventive measures.

    The principal has also urged parents and students to go for influenza A/H1N1 test if they do not recover after taking normal medicine.

    In addition, some schools in western districts, Parbat, Baglungand Myagdi, have been closed for an indefinite period for fear of possible spread of influenza A/H1N1.

    In the meantime, the umbrella organization of Private And Boarding Schools Organization of Nepal has urged schools to take precautions against the global outbreak of A/H1N1 flu.

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