#17,781
In the past hour the Cambodian MOH has announced the second H5N1 case from Kampot Province, which follows yesterday's announcement of the infection of a 21 y.o. female. This latest case was apparently discovered during a canvassing of the neighborhood, as she lives next door to the first case.
This is the 6th case reported in Cambodia in 2023, which comes after going 9 years with a case. Two cases were reported last February, while the 3rd and 4th cases were reported in October.
The first four cases were confirmed to have been from H5N1 clade 2.3.2.1c - an older lineage of avian flu which predates our current clade 2.3.4.4b epizootic - and it is likely (but not confirmed) that these latest cases belong to that same clade.
What we know at this time comes from the following announcement from the Cambodian MOH Facebook page.
Kingdom of Cambodia, Nation, Religion, King
Ministry of Health
Press Release
Cases of bird flu in 4-year-old girls
The Ministry of Health of the Kingdom of Cambodia would like to inform the public that there is another case of bird flu in a 4-year-old girl and was confirmed positive for H5N1 bird flu virus (H5N1) from the National Institute. Public Health and Institut Pasteur du Cambodge on November 24, 2023, residing in Trapeang Russey village, Damnak Sokrom commune, Dong Tong district, Kampot province.
The case of the girl above the house next to the case of a 21-year-old woman who issued a press release on November 24, 2023, which was found through an active search in the village by the National Emergency Response Team. And the sub-national level of the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and the Ministry of Environment, local authorities at all levels, and the police.
According to inquiries, she was carrying a dead chicken and began to get sick on November 23, 2023, with respiratory symptoms including fever, cough and rash. The child was treated with Tamiflu and was Sent for treatment and care at Kampot Provincial Hospital on November 25, 2023. The patient is currently receiving intensive care by a team of doctors.
National and sub-national emergency response teams of the Ministry of Health have been cooperating With the working group of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Ministry of Environment, local authorities at all levels, the police and partner organizations continue to actively investigate the occurrence of the two types of bird flu that have occurred and respond to Methods and technical protocols Continue to search for sources of transmission in both animals and humans, and continue to search for suspected and affected cases to prevent transmission to others in the community, as well as distribute Tamiflu to close contacts and Conduct a health education campaign for the people in the village where the incident occurred.
The Ministry of Health would like to remind all citizens to always pay attention to avian influenza because avian influenza (SN) continues to pose a threat.
To the health of our people, and also please tell you if you have a fever, cough, runny nose or difficulty breathing and have a history of contact with chickens, ducks, sick or dead during the 14 days before the onset of symptoms, please do not go to the meeting or go Cities that are crowded and need to seek consultation and treatment at the nearest health center as soon as possible.
Transmission: H5N1 bird flu is a flu virus that is usually transmitted from sick birds to other birds, but can sometimes be transmitted from birds to humans through close contact with sick or dead birds. Avian influenza in humans is a serious disease that requires timely hospitalization. Although it is not easily transmitted from person to person, if it can metabolize it can be as contagious as the seasonal flu.
Preventive measures: The government's educational message includes: Wash your hands often with soap and water before eating and after contact with birds, keep children away from birds and keep birds away from living, do not eat birds. Sick or dead and all birds made for eating must be well cooked.
The Ministry of Health will continue to inform the public about information related to public health issues through the Telegram Channel and the official Facebook page of the Ministry of Health, as well as the official Facebook page of the Department of Infectious Diseases and the website www.cdcmoh.gov.kh, which has Health education materials that can be downloaded, viewed and used. For more information, please contact the Ministry of Health Hotline 115 for free.
Saturday, the 13th day of the lunar month of Thao Panchasak, BE 2567, Phnom Penh, November 25, 2023
Although we aren't seeing any evidence of sustained or efficient human-to-human transmission of H5N1, this recent uptick warrants our attention. The more times the virus spills over into humans, the more opportunities it will have to `figure us out', and better adapt to a human host.
Obviously, with two cases reported in two days, we'll be watching this part of the world closely for the next couple of weeks.
Stay tuned.
