The 2009 flu pandemic in Asia, part of an epidemic in 2009 of a new strain of influenza A virus subtype H1N1 causing what has been commonly called swine flu, afflicted at least 394,133 people in Asia with 2,137 confirmed deaths: there were 1,035 deaths confirmed in India, 737 deaths in China, 415 deaths in Turkey, 192 deaths in Thailand, and 170 deaths in South Korea. Among the Asian countries, South Korea had the most confirmed cases, followed by China, Hong Kong, and Thailand.
Azerbaijan
On 27 April 2009 Azerbaijan imposed a ban on import of animal husbandry products from the Americas. AZAL took additional safety measures and a sanitary quarantine unit of the Health Ministry started to operate in Heydar Aliyev International Airport with all aircraft and passengers being checked.
On 31 July, the first case of influenza A (H1N1) was confirmed.
Bahrain
In July, the Ministry of Health launched an awareness campaign ahead of the start of the academic year, with many fearing the reopening of schools would lead to a much greater outbreak of the flu. By early August, 18 confirmed cases of the flu were reported. Haj travel agencies reported that thousands of Bahraini pilgrims cancelled their trips to Mecca over fears of contracting swine flu. Over 180 confirmed cases of the flu were reported in late August, all of whom had returned from traveling abroad.
On 31 August, a 30-year-old Filipino housemaid died after contracting the H1N1 virus, becoming Bahrain's first confirmed death as a result of the virus. On 3 September, it was reported that a 24-year-old Bahraini man died after succumbing to the H1N1 virus, being the first Bahraini to die of the disease. On 8 September, it was announced that patients with flu-like symptoms would be treated with Tamiflu nationwide, regardless of having a fever or not. It was also announced that a million doses of the swine flu vaccine were ordered. The Bahraini Ministry of Education had decided to postpone the opening of schools until October as a precaution, a decision that drew criticism from the World Health Organization. In November 2009, the government stated that up to 1,346 cases of the H1N1 virus were confirmed in the country, along with 15,000 suspected cases of the virus.
Bangladesh
As of 22 August 98 cases of the A (H1N1) virus were confirmed in Bangladesh.
Burma (Myanmar) On 1 May 2009 Chairman of Global Human Flu Prevention and Response Work Committee Deputy Minister for Health Dr Mya Oo inspected preventive measures against the human flu at Yangon International Airport, Burma (also known as Myanmar). On 27 June, Burmese state-run Radio Myanmar confirmed the first case of influenza A/H1N1 – a 13-year-old girl who just returned from a trip to Singapore.
China
The first suspected case found on mainland China was reported on 11 May 2009. As of 29 July 2009, the number of confirmed A/H1N1 cases on the Chinese mainland topped 2,000, with no deaths or serious cases reported, according to the Ministry of Health (MOH). Of the total 2,003 confirmed cases, 1,853 had recovered, said a statement on the MOH website.
The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) of China issued an emergency notice on the evening of 26 April that visitors returning from flu-affected areas who experienced flu-like symptoms within two weeks would be quarantined.
In early September 2009, China's State Food and Drug Administration granted approval to a homegrown swine flu vaccine, which producer Sinovac Biotech claimed to be effective after only one dose.
On 4 January 2010, the Chinese Health Ministry announced that 659 deaths from swine flu have been recorded in 2009, with 120,940 confirmed detected cases throughout the year.
Cyprus
Cyprus identified its first case of H1N1 on 30 May in a 39-year-old woman from Moldova, living in Cyprus, who returned from the United States on 28 May. As of 11 July 250 cases were confirmed in Cyprus.