Bird flu kills 11-year-old girl in Cambodia, first human case in country since 2014
- The girl from rural Prey Veng became ill on February 16 and was sent to hospital in Phnom Penh, where she died on Wednesday
- Bird flu poses a high risk to children who may be feeding or collecting eggs, playing with the birds or cleaning their cages
An 11-year-old girl in Cambodia has died from bird flu in the country’s first known human H5N1 infection since 2014, health officials said.
Bird flu, also known as avian influenza, normally spreads in poultry and wasn’t deemed a threat to people until a 1997 outbreak among visitors to live poultry markets in Hong Kong. Most human cases worldwide have involved direct contact with infected poultry, but concerns have arisen recently about infections in a variety of mammals and the possibility the virus could evolve to spread more easily between people.
The girl from the rural southeastern province of Prey Veng became ill on February 16 and was sent to be treated at hospital in the capital, Phnom Penh. She was diagnosed Wednesday after suffering a fever up to 39 Celsius (102 Fahrenheit) with coughing and throat pain and died soon after, the Health Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday night.
Health officials have taken samples from a dead wild bird at a conservation area near the girl’s home, the ministry said in another statement on Thursday. It said teams in the area would also warn residents about touching dead and sick birds.
Cambodian Health Minister Mam Bunheng warned that bird flu poses an especially high risk to children who may be feeding or collecting eggs from domesticated poultry, playing with the birds or cleaning their cages.
Symptoms of H5N1 infection are similar to that of other flus, including cough, aches and fever, and in serious cases, patients can develop life-threatening pneumonia.
