BHUBANESWAR: Orissa recorded its first Influenza A H1N1 cases on Tuesday with two persons testing positive. Lab tests at the National Institute for Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NICED), Kolkata, confirmed the flu in Ratikanta Nayak (28) of Soro in Balasore and Amit Singh, a student of NIT, Rourkela. Both had reported flu-like symptoms at the SCB Medical, Cuttack and IGH, Rourkela respectively on August 13 and swabs had been sent for testing on the same day. Ratikanta had come back from Pune, where he worked as an employee of a hotel, after the outbreak of H1N1 in the city. He had developed symptoms but not severe enough to require hospitalisation. Doctors at the SCB had collected his swabs and advised him to stay in home quarantine till the report was received. Amit, the 21-year-old engineering student, who hails from Rajasthan, had been to Bangalore and Nagpur on project work and had returned to Rourkela recently. He was also advised by the doctors to stay in isolation in the hostel as his swabs were sent to NICED. He had recovered since and is without any symptom at present. Though both have visibly contracted mild infections, health officials had put them under hospital care immediately. Ratikanta was shifted to SCB and Amit moved to IGH for proper treatment and prevent spread of the virus. Meanwhile, Health Minister Prasanna Acharya called on the people not to panic as the situation was under control. The manifestations have been mild and there is nothing to worry, he said. Till date, around 24 swab samples have been sent to NICED for testing of which 17 reports have arrived. Two have tested positive while seven reports are awaited. The Minister also ruled out closure of schools and colleges in the wake of the H1N1 confirmation. The situation as of now doesn