Cambodia reports 10th human bird flu case of 2013
In what is the worst outbreak of human avian influenza H5N1 in Cambodia since the viral disease was first identified in Jan. 2004, health officials in the Kingdom are reporting the 10th human case of the disease, according to a Xinhua news report April 3.
This announcement comes on the heels of the announcement out of China that seven people have contracted the novel strain of avian influenza, H7N9.
According to the report, The six-year-old boy was admitted to the Kantha Bopha Hospital in Phnom Penh on March 31 for severe pneumonia, and he was tested positive for H5N1 at the Instituts Pasteur on Tuesday. Dr. Denis Laurent, deputy director of the hospital, told Xinhua.”The boy is still alive, but in severe conditions.”
The child is the 31st case of human avian influenza reported in Cambodia since the beginning of last decade. Of the 31 cases, 27 died (approximately 90 percent) as a result of the lethal virus.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen repeatedly appealed to television and radio stations to broadly educate people about the outbreaks of Avian Influenza H5N1 virus, which has killed eight people so far this year.
China H7N9 bird flu outbreak grows; Hong Kong, Taiwan on ‘heightened vigilance’
According to the WHO, avian influenza (AI) is an infectious viral disease of birds (especially wild waterfowl such as ducks and geese), often causing no apparent signs of illness.
AI viruses can sometimes spread to domestic poultry and cause large-scale outbreaks of serious disease. Some of these AI viruses have also been reported to cross the species barrier and cause disease or subclinical infections in humans and other mammals.
The disease caused by the H5N1 virus follows an unusually aggressive clinical course, with rapid deterioration and high fatality.
The primary risk factor for human infection appears to be direct or indirect exposure to infected live or dead poultry or contaminated environments.
For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page
Looking for a job in health care? Check here to see what’s available
[…] far this year, Cambodia has reported 10 cases of the lethal virus in humans, resulting in eight fatalities. Health authorities say cases do not seem to be linked directly, […]