Infectious Disease Examiner
The Cambodian Health Ministry (MOH) has notified the World Health Organization (WHO) of a fatality from human infection with avian influenza.
According to an AFP report, a 10-year-old Cambodian girl from southwestern Kampong Speu province has died from bird flu on Sunday according to a joint WHO/MOH statement Monday.
AFP reports the girl developed a fever and shortness of breath on May 20. The epidemiological investigation shows that the child was exposed to sick poultry (chicken) before becoming sick.
Avian influenza H5N1 was laboratory-confirmed by the hospital.
According to WHO statistics, this was the third case of human avian influenza in Cambodia and the third fatality of 2012.
Since 2003, Cambodia has reported to the WHO 21 cases of bird flu, of the 21, 19 of the patients died of the disease with a case-fatality rate of 90 percent.
According to the WHO, the primary risk factor for human infection with the virus appears to be direct or indirect exposure to infected live or dead poultry or contaminated environments.
They go on to say there is no evidence to suggest that the H5N1 virus can be transmitted to humans through properly prepared poultry or eggs. A few human cases have been linked to consumption of dishes made of raw, contaminated poultry blood. However, slaughter, defeathering, handling carcasses of infected poultry, and preparing poultry for consumption, especially in household settings, are likely to be risk factors.
Previous cases reported in Cambodia this year include a 2-year-old boy from Banteay Meanchey Province who died in January and a 6-year-old girl from Kampong Chhnang Province who died in late March.
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