KATHMANDU (AFP) — Nepal has recorded its first cases of swine flu, in three members of a family living in the United States who are visiting their homeland, the health ministry said Monday.
The couple and their eight-year-old son arrived in Nepal via Doha on June 21 and were tested for the virus after the boy complained of fever, the ministry said.
"A US-based non-resident Nepali couple and their son have been diagnosed with the pandemic H1N1 2009 virus," said ministry official Manas Kumar Banerjee.
"The father, 42, mother, 38, and their eight-year-old son, were all diagnosed with swine flu. Infection was suspected after the eight-year-old boy complained of fever."
Samples of their blood have been sent to a World Health Organization (WHO) laboratory for confirmation, the ministry said.
Authorities in landlocked Nepal announced earlier this month they were stepping up checks at borders and airports after India reported its first swine flu cases.
The disease has infected nearly 60,000 worldwide and killed 263, according to the WHO.
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