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.

The objective was to study the external causes of death reported in the autopsy centre in Kathmandu, Nepal. A retrospective review of case report documentation of all violent and traumatic death autopsies was conducted in Kathmandu from mid-July 2000 to mid-July 2004. A total of 4383 autopsies were conducted by the Department of Forensic Medicine in Kathmandu. There were 1072 (25%) cases of suicide, 380 (9%) homicide, 1399 (32%) accidental, 598 (14%) deaths as a result of natural diseases and 923 (21%) undetermined causes of death. The number of males was almost twice that of females (sex ratio 2.2:1). Persons aged 15 to 44 years comprised about two-thirds of the total reported fatalities (65.4%). Suicides were mostly reported due to hanging, homicides mostly due to firearms and explosives, accidents mostly due to road traffic injuries. More than 60% of road traffic injuries resulted among pedestrians. Suicides, homicides and accidental deaths remain a poorly identified public health issue in Nepal. Medico-legal autopsy reports can serve as an important tool in understanding fatalities from violence and injuries for countries similar to Nepal. Strengthening a regular mechanism for compilation and utilization of the information, however, remains a major challenge.

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This study evaluated the impact of didactic videos and service user testimonial videos on mental illness stigma among medical students. Two randomized controlled trials were conducted in Nepal. Study 1 examined stigma reduction for depression. Study 2 examined depression and psychosis. Participants were Nepali medical students (Study 1: n = 94, Study 2: n = 213) randomized to three conditions: a didactic video based on the mental health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP), a service user video about living with mental illness, or a control condition with no videos. In Study 1, videos only addressed depression. In Study 2, videos addressed depression and psychosis. In Study 1, both didactic and service user videos reduced stigma compared to the control. In Study 2 (depression and psychosis), there were no differences among the three arms. When comparing Study 1 and 2, there was greater stigma reduction in the service user video arm with only depression versus service user videos describing depression and psychosis. In summary, didactic and service user videos were associated with decreased stigma when content addressed only depression. However, no stigma reduction was seen when including depression and psychosis. This calls for considering different strategies to address stigma based on types of mental illnesses. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03231761.

COVID-19, caused by a deadly severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV)-2 has taken more than 0.7 million lives globally. In this manuscript, based on the official media releases of the Government of Nepal, we analyzed the clinical and epidemiological features of the patients who died as a result of COVID-19 infection in Nepal from January 23 to August 10, 2020. We found that nearly half of the deaths were among people less than 50 years of age and being female was highly likely to succumb to death. The majority of the deaths were associated with comorbidities, where most common comorbidities were cardiovascular diseases and diabetes followed by respiratory diseases. With approaching festive season and loosened lockdown, government and citizens need to be more cautious about the severity of the COVID-19 infection and take appropriate action.