# 6967
Although a scan of the `usual suspects’ (WHO WPRO, Cambodian MOH, and the UN Cambodia site) has failed to turn up any official statement, China’s Xinhua News, Malaysia’s Bernama, and Thailand’s The Nation are all reporting on a 9th H5N1 case in Cambodia this year.
These media reports indicate that the victim is a 35 year-old male from Trung Trang district of Eastern Kampong Cham province, who died at Calmete Hospital in Phnom Penh on Tuesday several days after cooking and eating a dead duck.
Up until now, all eight cases reported this year in Cambodia have been clustered across four provinces (Phnom Penh, Takeo, Kampong Speu, Kampot) located in the southern part of the nation.
Assuming this case is confirmed, it would add a fifth – more centrally located - province to that list; Kampong Cham. All of the cases reported this year in Cambodia, save one (an 8 month old boy) have died.
This from Xinhua News.
Cambodia reports 9th bird flu case, 8th death so far this year
English.news.cn 2013-02-26 12:42:15
PHNOM PENH, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia reported on Tuesday that a 35-year-old man died of Avian Influenza H5N1, bringing the death toll to eight and the number of cases to nine in 2013, health officials and victim's family said Tuesday.
The man, identified as Thoeun Doeun, lived in Trung Trang district of Eastern Kampong Cham province.
"He died of the bird flu virus last night after a four-day medical treatment at the Calmete Hospital in Phnom Penh," Suon Sokhy, younger sister of the victim, told Xinhua over telephone.
She said that her brother became sick after he took a dead duck to cook and ate.
"Doctor told me that he died of bird flu," she said.
Sonny Krishnan, communications officer with the World Health Organization (WHO) in Cambodia, confirmed the death on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, he appealed to people to be high vigilant over the virus, saying that home slaughtering and preparation of sick or dead poultry for food is hazardous.
"This practice must be stopped. The greatest risk of exposure to the virus is through the handling and slaughter of live infected poultry," he said.
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The country sees the worst outbreak of the virus this year since the disease was first identified in 2004. To date, the country has recorded 30 human cases of the virus, killing 27 people.
Other media carrying this story include:
Eighth Cambodian dies from bird flu this year - The Nation
Cambodia Reports 9th Bird Flu Case, 8th Death So Far This Year – Bernama
While Cambodia is experiencing an unusual level of H5N1 activity thus far in 2013, so far we’ve not seen any evidence of human-to-human transmission.
For now, H5N1 remains primarily an avian adapted virus - and only rarely infects humans – usually as the result of direct contact with infected birds.
When an official statement from the World Health Organization, Cambodian MOH, or UN becomes available I’ll update this story.
