The Greek authorities have ordered two schools in Athens to shut, with the possibility of more to follow as dozens of students and staff are found to be carriers of the H1N1 strain, the Greek Kathimerini has reported on October 2.

Earlier measures were taken when classes in secondary Haidari and Melissia schools were closed on September 29 after 22 students complained of symptoms associated with the disease such as respiratory problems and high fever. With the arrival of medical units, seven of the 22 students were confirmed to be suffering from swine flu.

At the time the authorities said that the "situation is under control".

"We are prepared to handle whatever happens, so there is no reason for parents to worry – everything will be tackled smoothly, pupils will not miss out on lessons and they will also be well prepared," said education minister Aris Spiliotopoulos for the Kathimerini.

The situation appears to have deteriorated, however, leading to the health authorities' decision on October 1 to shut schools completely.

Bulgaria seems to be faring better than Greece for the moment with only 78 people in the country diagnosed with the strain by health authorities, although there is a fear that the actual number could be significantly higher. Bulgaria suffered its first swine flu-related death on September 30 when a 30-year-old succumbed to the strain in Lozenets Hospital in Sofia. So far, there are no reported cases of affected schools in the country, however.

In light of the closures, Greek health minister Dimitris Avramopoulos has hailed it as a "successful first response" to the virus threat, the Kathimerini has said. Additionally, authorities have been entrusted with inspecting more than 12 500 primary and secondary schools nationwide.