title: Outbreak of pandemic influenza A/H1N1 2009 in Nepal.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The 2009 flu pandemic is a global outbreak of a new strain of H1N1 influenza virus. Pandemic influenza A (H1N1) 2009 has posed a serious public health challenge world-wide. Nepal has started Laboratory diagnosis of Pandemic influenza A/H1N1 from mid June 2009 though active screening of febrile travellers with respiratory symptoms was started from April 27, 2009.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of 609 collected samples, 302 (49.6%) were Universal Influenza A positive. Among the influenza A positive samples, 172(28.3%) were positive for Pandemic influenza A/H1N1 and 130 (21.3%) were Seasonal influenza A. Most of the pandemic cases (53%) were found among young people with ≤ 20 years. Case Fatality Ratio for Pandemic influenza A/H1N1 in Nepal was 1.74%. Upon Molecular characterization, all the isolated pandemic influenza A/H1N1 2009 virus found in Nepal were antigenically and genetically related to the novel influenza A/CALIFORNIA/07/2009-LIKE (H1N1)v type.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Pandemic 2009 influenza virus found in Nepal were antigenically and genetically related to the novel A/CALIFORNIA/07/2009-LIKE (H1N1)v type.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Services, Molecular Virology Research Division, National Public Health Laboratory, Kathmandu, Nepal. southblock_arc@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Bal Ram
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Adhikari
authors.forename: Geeta
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Shakya
authors.forename: Bishnu Prasad
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Upadhyay
authors.forename: Khagendra
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Prakash Kc
authors.forename: Sirjana Devi
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Shrestha
authors.forename: Guna Raj
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Dhungana
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D053118:Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009390:Nepal / Q000453:epidemiology; D058873:Pandemics; D010802:Phylogeny; D055815:Young Adult