# 5723
Yesterday Giuseppe Michieli, editor & director of del Forum Italiano on FluTrackers, posted on a new case of H5N1 in Cambodia he found listed in the latest World Health Organization’s FluNet (www.who.int/flunet), Global Influenza Surveillance Network (GISN) report.
At the time, the only information available was a single entry in a table of virus in detections in Cambodia for week 29.
Overnight Crof at Crofsblog picked up on a newswire report (Cambodian girl dies from bird flu: WHO) published in the Straits Times on this latest Cambodian case that filled in some of the details.
Unlike the six earlier cases, which were all clustered in the southeastern region of the country, this latest case involved a 4-year-old girl who lived in the northwestern province of Banteay Meanchey.
After seeing only 4 cases of H5N1 infection in humans over the past 4 years, Cambodia has suddenly become the focus of renewed attention after 7 fatal cases have been reported over the past six months.
All but one of these cases have involved young children. This latest case marks the 17th known Cambodian H5N1 infection, and the 15th fatality.
Earlier reports on these cases include:
Cambodia: 6th Bird Flu Fatality Of 2011
Cambodia Reports 5th Bird Flu Fatality
IRIN: Cambodia’s Bird Flu Risk "under control" – Experts
Cambodia: 4th Bird Flu Fatality Of 2011
WHO Update On Cambodian H5N1 Fatalities
Although we continue to see isolated human infections around the world, H5N1 remains difficult for humans to catch. The virus remains poorly adapted to human physiology, and for now is primarily a threat to poultry.
The concern, of course, is that over time that may change.
And so the world remains at Pre-pandemic Phase III on the H5N1 virus, and we continue to watch for signs that the virus is adapting to humans.
