17th human H5N1 bird flu case reported in Cambodia
A boy from Cambodia’s southern Kandal Province has been confirmed for avian influenza H5N1, making him the 17th case reported from the Kingdom this year, according to a Xinhua report today.
The 6-year-old boy was confirmed positive for human H5N1 avian influenza on Aug. 17 after he caught fever, headache, abdominal pain, vomiting, cough and lethargy, health officials said. He has since recovered from the disease.
H5N1 Avian Influenza
Image/CDC
This case follows the report Monday of the death of a 9-year-old boy from a village in northeastern Battambang province who succumbed to the lethal virus.
It is reported that the boy came into contact with sick poultry.
Of the 17 cases of H5N1 bird flu, 10 have died.
According to the WHO, the H5N1 virus subtype (different from the H7N9 strain circulating in the current China outbreak) – a highly pathogenic AI virus- first infected humans in 1997 during a poultry outbreak in Hong Kong SAR, China. Since its widespread re-emergence in 2003 and 2004, this avian virus has spread from Asia to Europe and Africa and has become entrenched in poultry in some countries, resulting in millions of poultry infections, several hundred human cases, and many human deaths.
The case fatality rate for H5N1 virus infections in people is much higher compared to that of seasonal influenza infections.
Clinically, in many patients, the disease caused by the H5N1 virus follows an unusually aggressive clinical course, with rapid deterioration and high fatality. Like most emerging disease, H5N1 influenza in humans is poorly understood.
The incubation period for H5N1 avian influenza may be longer than that for normal seasonal influenza, which is around two to three days. Current data for H5N1 infection indicate an incubation period ranging from two to eight days and possibly as long as 17 days. WHO currently recommends that an incubation period of seven days be used for field investigations and the monitoring of patient contacts.
Initial symptoms include a high fever, usually with a temperature higher than 38oC, and other influenza-like symptoms. Diarrhoea, vomiting, abdominal pain, chest pain, and bleeding from the nose and gums have also been reported as early symptoms in some patients.
One feature seen in many patients is the development of lower respiratory tract early in the illness. On present evidence, difficulty in breathing develops around five days following the first symptoms. Respiratory distress, a hoarse voice, and a crackling sound when inhaling are commonly seen. Sputum production is variable and sometimes bloody.
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