# 6977
Although nowhere near the top of the heap for human H5N1 infections (a dubious honor still held by Indonesia), it is sobering to note that 30% of all of the known cases reported in Cambodia over the past 8 years have all occurred during the past 8 weeks.
2005 – 4 cases 2009 – 1 case2006 – 2 cases 2010 – 1 case
2007 – 1 case 2011 – 8 cases
2008 – 1 case 2012 - 3 cases
2009 – 1 case 2013 - 9 cases
So far, all of the cases this year appear to be widely scattered, and attributed to direct contact to infected poultry. There are no indications of human-to-human spread of the virus.
Still, concerns are running high in Cambodia, as evidenced by the following story that appears in today’s Sun Daily out of Malaysia.
Cambodia orders action to stop deadly bird flu
Last updated on 1 March 2013 - 06:22pm
PHNOM PENH (March 1, 2013): Phnom Penh on Friday ordered urgent action to stem the "worrying" number of bird flu deaths in Cambodia, following a surge in the number of fatalities from the virus.
This AFP report goes on to say that Prime Minister Hun Sen has ordered the police, agriculture & health departments to work together against this virus.
Orders include a mass disinfection of all poultry operations across the nation, better surveillance, and stopping the cross border smuggling of poultry.
Avian flu viruses tend to proliferate in poultry during the winter and spring months, and increase the chances of human infection. The chart below clearly shows that seasonal pattern.
Source WHO Influenza At The Human-Animal Interface
Despite many opportunities to do so, the virus has not managed to adapt well enough to humans to pose a pandemic threat. Nevertheless, the potential for this status quo to change exists, and so the World Health Organization provides the following risk assessment:
Public health risk assessment of avian influenza A(H5N1) viruses:
Any time influenza viruses are circulating in poultry, sporadic infections or small clusters of human cases are possible especially in people exposed to infected poultry kept in households.
However, currently, this H5N1 virus does not appear to transmit easily among people and therefore the risk of community level spread of this virus remains low. Therefore, the public health risk associated with this virus remains unchanged.
Editor’s Note: I’ll be away from my desk, and on the road, much of the next three days and so my blogging schedule will be light.
For the latest infectious disease developments check in with Crof at Crofsblog, FluTrackers, and Maryn McKenna’s Superbug blog.
