Indoor Air Pollution (IAP) Traceable to Household Fuel Consumption and its Impact on Health.

Energy is an essential and obligatory prerequisite of life. Indoor air pollution is one of the biggest environmental problems in the world being specifically concentrated in resource limited settings. Inspite of the availability of cleaner fuel technologies, people in resource limited setting still depend on traditional fuel to meet their basic needs resulting even in premature deaths. In Nepal people in rural areas are the pre-dominant users of biomass fuel, there is limited research focusing on rural areas particularly; women as they spend most of their time in kitchen. Reports were extensively searched for literature using preset keywords in English language peer-reviewed journals databases PubMed and Google Scholar published between the years 2005 to 2020. Citation details were examined, titles and abstracts screened for eligibility and if relevant, full text was also reviewed in greater detail. Findings were then presented primarily under two bold themes: Household fuel consumption: existing theories and evidence; and health impact of indoor air pollution. Several health effects were reported of indoor air pollution including respiratory illnesses, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, endocrine system disruption and pregnancy complications. These exposures almost double the health risks predominantly among children and women of rural communities as they are directly involved in household activities causing air pollution. Based on our review of evidence, women and children of rural households were the major victims. Further, determinants of household fuel consumption and health effects should be considered while formulating policies in regard to promoting accessibility of clean fuels and reducing household air pollutants.

Clinical and epidemiological features of COVID-19 deaths in Nepal.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has taken more than 1 million lives globally. This study, based on the official media releases of the Government of Nepal, analyses the clinical and epidemiological features of the individuals who died as a result of COVID-19 in Nepal from 23 January to 10 August 2020. We found that nearly half of the deaths were among people less than 50 years of age and being female increased the risk of death. The majority of deaths were associated with co-morbidities, the most common being cardiovascular diseases and diabetes followed by respiratory diseases. With the approaching festive season and relaxed lockdown, both government and citizens need to be more cautious about the severity of COVID-19 and take appropriate action.

COVID-19: the current situation in Nepal.

The recent global pandemic of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is increasingly alarming. As of 21 June 2020, there are more than 8.7 million cases worldwide, with 460 000 deaths. Nepal is not an exception to COVID-19 and is currently facing a challenge to prevent the spread of infection. The analysis of the detected cases, severity and outcomes of the cases within a country is important to have a clear picture of where the pandemic is heading and what measures should be taken to curb the infection before it becomes uncontrollable. We collected data regarding all the cases, recoveries and deaths attributed to COVID-19 in Nepal starting from the first case on 23 January to 21 June 2020. At present, COVID-19 has spread all over Nepal, with a rapid increase in the number of new cases and deaths, which is alarming in a low-income country with an inadequate healthcare system like Nepal. Although the government implemented early school closure and lockdown, the management to contain COVID-19 does not appear to be adequate. Understanding the current situation regarding COVID-19 in Nepal is important for providing a direction towards proper management of the disease.