Chandigarh: A city-based private company on Monday started a drive to fumigate and sanitize the swine flu affected schools in Chandigarh free of cost.

Alliance Formulations, a service provider for lifestyle and health care products, has come to the rescue of affected schools in the wake of increasing number of swine flu cases in them.

"Understanding our corporate social responsibility, we have started this drive, which would help in preventing students from falling prey to the deadly virus in the coming days," said Anil Nagpal, director of Alliance Formulations, while launching the drive.

"We are ready to offer the service to any of the tri-city (comprising Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali towns) schools, if they approach us," he added.

"The chemical treatment not only destroys the swine flu virus but also other bacteria, virus, amoeba, yeast, fungi, and spore forming organisms," pointed out Nagpal.

So far, over 320 cases of influenza A (H1N1) virus have been reported in Chandigarh hospitals. Out of these cases, over 60 were students. More than 50 people have succumbed to the virus here in the last few months.

Four private schools and two leading engineering colleges of the region remained closed for a week after a huge number of their students reported positive for swine flu. IANS