Panaji, Sep 25 - The Goa education department Thursday directed a city school to close down for a week after two pupils were found suffering from swine flu and three other were suspected of being affected by the virus, a top education department official said.

Speaking to IANS late Thursday, director education Celsa Pinto said that People's High School, located in the heart of the capital, was closed down after medical tests confirmed that two students had tested positive for the H1N1 virus.

'It is a precautionary measure. There is no need for panic. We have been asked by the directorate of health services to close the school for seven days. Both students are from Class 5,' she said.

Pinto further said that three other students were suspected of having swine flu and that their test reports were awaited. The department would be issuing a public notice Friday informing the rest of the school's students about the seven day closure.

The confirmed test reports were received by the state health department from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) at 9.30 p.m.

There are presently 36 confirmed swine flu cases in the state, which has seen three deaths from the disease.