Cambodian boy becomes the 10th H5N1 bird flu death of the year

In a follow-up to a report last week, a 9-year-old boy from a village in northeastern Battambang province has died from avian influenza H5N1, according to the Associated Press.

Image/CIA

The boy developed fever and vomiting on 26th July. He was given home-treatment by a health centre staff. On 2nd August, his condition became worse and his parents took him to a private clinic in Battambang. The private clinic referred him to the Battambang Provincial Hospital the same day.

On 4th August, he was transferred to the Jayavarman V11 Hospital in Siem Reap with fever, cough, vomit, abdominal pain and dyspnea and treated with Tamiflu on 9th August.

He was confirmed positive with the virus on 9th August 2013 by Institut Pasteur du Cambodge.

Last week, he was being reported in stabile condition.

A WHO statement said there had been recent deaths among chickens and ducks in his village, and that the boy had carried dead and sick poultry from a cage for food preparation by his sister before he became sick.

The child becomes the 10th fatality to avian influenza H5N1 in Cambodia this year. There has been 16 confirmed cases to date.

Since 2003, the number of cases reported from 15 countries worldwide is 636 and 378 were fatal (Case fatality rate of  59.5%).

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