An 11-year-old girl has died after contracting the bird flu virus in rural Cambodia. Cambodia’s health minister says this is the first case of human infection with the bird flu virus in the country since 2014.
The health authorities are investigating the different people who had contact with the child, with 12 cases already identified, according to the Reuters agency.
The girl, from Prey Vent province, was admitted to the children’s hospital in the capital Phnom Penh with a cough, high fever and headaches on February 16. The government health surveillance agency (CDCD) does not reveal the exact date of her death.
The victim’s father is also infected with the H5N1 virus, but has no symptoms.
In early February, the World Health Organization (WHO) called for increased vigilance against the risk of transmission of bird flu to mammals, after detecting cases in foxes, otters and sea lions. However, there are few human cases of infection, with 868 confirmed cases of H5N1 in the last 20 years and 457 deaths, according to the WHO.
Cambodian health authorities recommend that people avoid contact with sick or dead birds. In 2014, the country recorded 56 infections and 37 deaths from bird flu.
Source: TSF
