Browsing by Author "Dhimal, M"
Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Publication Age and Gender Differences in COVID 19 Morbidity and Mortality in Nepal(Kathmandu University, 2020) Dhimal, ML; Rana, N; Aryal, B; Adhikari, SK; Shrestha, R; Gyanwali, P; Dhimal, MABSTRACT Background The global health community has emphasized the importance of reporting epidemiological data by age and sex groups in the COVID-19 pandemic. However, age and sex disaggregated data of COVID-19 cases and deaths are rarely reported. Such data are very crucial for public to make truly informed choices about their own diseases risk and also for governments for public policy response. Objective To assess age and gender difference among COVID-19 cases and deaths in Nepal. Method This is a retrospective study which uses public data on COVID-19 cases and deaths released by Ministry of Health and Population, Government of Nepal from January to November, 2020. The data analysis was carried out using SPPS software version 26. Result Nepal reported 233,452 confirmed cases and 1,566 deaths of COVID-19 from 23 January 2020 to 30 November 2020. We found statistically significant differences on COVID-19 cases by age and gender in Nepal with higher number of cases among males of economically active age groups (20-60 years). Similarly, we found significant difference in COVID-19 mortality with more death occurred among male group compared to female group and with highest number of deaths among the people of above 60 years. Furthermore, we found differences in cases and deaths among provinces. Conclusion The age and gender differences in COVID cases and deaths in Nepal indicates needs of considering age and sex groups seriously while planning for testing, case management and vaccination against COVID-19 infections in Nepal. KEY WORDS Age, COVID-19, Gender, NepalPublication Global Burden of Disease, Air Pollution and COVID-19(Kathmandu University, 2020) Dhimal, M; Shrestha, RNAPublication The Double Burden of COVID-19 and Dengue in Nepal: The challenges ahead(Kathmandu University, 2021) Pandey, K; Dumre, SP; Dhimal, M; Pun, SB; Shah, Y; Fernandez, S; Morita, K; Pandey, BDABSTRACT Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused significant impact on the health care system. As a consequence, diagnosis and treatment of vector borne diseases including dengue has been equally affected. Nepal is no exception to this, where COVID-19 cases is exponentially increased and all resources are concentrated on its prevention, control and management. Dengue, one of the major vector-borne diseases in Nepal, is apparently overlooked despite approaching the peak season of the disease. The aim of this paper is to describe the double burden of COVID-19 and dengue in Nepal, particularly highlighting the co-circulation and possible co- infections. This has posed higher risk of increased severity, more severe cases and deaths in Nepal. Moreover, potential misdiagnosis of these viral diseases may lead to delayed or, inappropriate treatment and poor allocation of resources. KEY WORDS Co-infection, COVID-19, Dengue, NepalPublication Whole Genome Sequence Analysis to Identify SARS-CoV-2 Variant in Nepal(Kathmandu University, 2021) Shrestha, R; Katuwal, N; Adhikari, N; Vanaerschot, M; Tamrakar, D; Dhimal, M; Gyanwali, P; Bhattarai, S; Madhup, SK; Devkota, BABSTRACT Background The spread of SARS-CoV-2 has become a global public health crisis. Nepal is facing the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic but, there is still a limited data on the genomic sequence of SARS-CoV-2 variants circulating in Nepal. Objective The objective of this study is to sequence the whole genome of SARS-CoV-2 in Nepal to detect possible mutation profiles and phylogenetic lineages of circulating SARS- CoV-2 variants. Method In this study, swab samples tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 were investigated. After RNA extraction, the investigation was performed through real-time PCR followed by whole genome sequencing. The consensus genome sequences were, then, analyzed with appropriate bioinformatics tools. Result Sequence analysis of two SARS-CoV-2 genomes from patient without travel history (Patient A1 and A2) were found to be of lineage B.1.1. Similarly, among other four samples from subjects returning from the United Kingdom, genomes of two samples were of lineage B.1.36, and the other two were of lineage B.1.1.7 (Alpha Variant). The mutations in the consensus genomes contained the defining mutations of the respective lineages of SARS-CoV-2. Conclusion We confirmed two genomic sequences of variant of concern VOC-202012/01 in Nepal. Our study provides the concise genomic evidence for spread of different lineages of SARS-CoV-2 – B.1.1, B.1.36 and B.1.1.7 of SARS-CoV-2 in Nepal. KEY WORDS COVID-19, Nepal, SARS-CoV-2, Variant of concern, Whole genome sequencing