An outbreak of swine flu is a cause of concern any time of year, but when it coincides with exam time, the situation begs for more attention. That is why schools in the city are taking extra precautions to protect students. While some schools, such as Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, have sent out circulars urging parents to keep their children at home in case they develop flu-like symptoms, others have instructed teachers to keep a close watch on the health of students.

“We have asked our teachers to call parents whose child is absent for two days in a row. We have not seen a case so far,” said Ameeta Wattal, principal, Springdales School, Pusa Road.

At Delhi Public School, RK Puram, the doctors and nurses have been asked to alert higher authorities in case any child shows flu-like symptoms. 

According to official data, though the numbers are rising, not more than 30% of the swine flu positive cases need hospitalisation as the virus strain is mild.

The city reported 60 new cases of the disease on Wednesday, taking the total number of affected persons this year to 570.

Eleven people have died of the disease so far this year.