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Although an official statement has yet to appear on the the Cambodian MOH website – Xinhua News is reporting on Cambodia’s 18th confirmed H5N1 case of the year – that of a 15 month-old boy in the Phnom Pehn’s Russei Keo district.
2005 – 4 cases 2009 – 1 case
2006 – 2 cases 2010 – 1 case
2007 – 1 case 2011 – 8 cases
2008 – 1 case 2012 - 3 cases
2009 – 1 case 2013 – 18 cases
Of the 39 cases reported in Cambodia since 2005, nearly half (46%) have been reported this year.
Cambodia reports 18th human case of bird flu this year
Sep 04,2013
PHNOM PENH, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) -- A 15-month-old boy in the capital's Russei Keo district has been diagnosed with H5N1 virus, bringing the number of the cases to 18 so far this year, a joint statement by the World Health Organization and Cambodian Health Ministry said Wednesday.
The boy was confirmed positive for human H5N1 avian influenza last Friday after he was admitted to the Kantha Bopha Hospital with fever, cough, diarrhea, sneezing, lethargy and dyspnea, the statement said.
"The boy was treated with Tamiflu and he is in a stable condition," it said.
"Investigations are being carried out by the Ministry of Health in the boy's village in order to determine whether the child came into contact with sick or dead poultry," the statement said.
Only eight cases out of the 18 cases this year survived.
The latest death case was a 9-year-old boy from northwestern Battambang province, who died last month.
Avian influenza H5N1 remains a serious threat to the health of all Cambodians, Health Minister Mam Bunheng said.
Despite Cambodia’s recent surge in cases, H5N1 continues to be poorly adapted to human physiology, and is only rarely transmitted from person-to-person.
For now, the virus is primarily a threat to poultry, and to a lesser extent, those in close contact to infected birds.
That status could change, of course.
So we watch these cases around the globe with great interest, looking for any signs that the virus is evolving, and that it is moving towards becoming a bigger public health threat.
