Kathmandu, Jan. 15 -- Cases of seasonal influenza are higher than expected this winter but there is nothing life-threatening, say health authorities, brushing off rumours about swine flu. The experts regularly process specimens from across the country and update the influenza laboratory surveillance information at the Global Influenza Surveillance System.

On December 10 last year, senior doctor Sher Bahadur Pun, who is also the chief medical officer at Sukraraj Tropical & Infectious Disease Hospital, posted a tweet warning Valley denizens of a flu outbreak as some 200 students in a school at Tokha had suddenly fallen sick and showed symptoms of high fever, dry cough, headaches, sore throat and body aches.

"Some 30-40 students had a seas...