STUDENTS in two houses have been quarantined and an Oxford college has been closed down after an outbreak of swine flu.

All students at Oxford Media and Business School, in St Ebbe’s, were sent home on Wednesday after a 19-year-old girl was diagnosed with the H1N1 virus.

Eight girls and a boy, living in two shared houses in Walton Well Road and Juxon Street, Jericho, who showed symptoms of the virus have been given drugs to tackle the flu strain and swabs taken for tests.

Both homes have been quarantined and classes at the college have been cancelled until Monday.

One of the girls, Patience Wootton, 20, of Walton Well Road, said she had been tested, and prescribed Tamiflu while waiting confirmation of the results.

She added: “I’m just really hot and sweaty and I get aches, it’s just like a fever. I’m not too worried – they’ve given out the drugs really quickly.

“In my opinion, it’s just another flu and its been blown out of proportion.”

Housemate Camilla Olsen, 19, said: “I started feeling ill on Tuesday and since then I’ve felt sick and a really bad headache.

“I’ve got a blocked up nose but I feel a lot better today.

“I think the whole thing has been blown out of proportion. I’d be more concerned if I was old.

“But I told my mum, who lives in Australia, and she’s really worried.”

Housemate Emily Brooks, 21, is the only one in the two quarantined houses showing no symptoms of the virus, but has also been prescribed Tamiflu as a precaution.

A 19-year-old girl from Juxon Road was the first to show symptoms last weekend and was diagnosed with swine flu on Wednesday, forcing the college to close and send the all pupils home.

She has since been quarantined to a house in Dorset and no one answered the door at Juxon Road, where it is believed three other female students and a man have been prescribed drugs to fight the virus.

All 10 people involved in the outbreak were studying for their executive personal assistant diploma at the Oxford Media and Business School.

Bursar Jeff Bethray said: “We are hoping over the weekend there will be no more problems and we expect students to return on Monday.

“They are all quite worried about it because they’ve seen reports where it has resulted in death elsewhere in the world.”

The students’ nine month course finishes next week with a graduation ceremony on Wednesday, which is still planned to go ahead.