Cambodia reports another human H5N1 avian influenza case, 23rd of the year
The Ministry of Health (MoH) of the Kingdom of Cambodia has confirmed one new human case of avian influenza has been confirmed for the H5N1 virus, according to a Xinhua news report today.
Image/CIA
A two-year-old girl from northwestern Pursat province was confirmed positive for human H5N1 avian influenza after she was admitted to the Jayavarman VII Hospital in Siem Reap province on Oct. 25 with fever, running nose, lethargy, dyspnea, cough and breathing difficulties. She died on Oct.26.
This brings the country’s total this year to 23 cases and 12 deaths.
“Investigations in her village found that two months before the girl’s illness, poultry had suddenly died at her grandparent’s house, and the child often stayed with her grandparent in this house,” according to the report.
“Human and animal investigations are underway to determine if the girl had direct exposure or handled the dead chickens.”
Cambodia sees the worst outbreak of the virus this year since it was first identified in 2004. To date, the country has recorded 44 human cases of the virus, and 31 people had died of it.
H5N1 is a type of influenza virus that causes a highly infectious, severe respiratory disease in birds called avian influenza (or “bird flu”). Human cases of H5N1 avian influenza occur occasionally, but it is difficult to transmit the infection from person to person. When people do become infected, the mortality rate is about 60%, according to the World Health Organization.
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