Tuesday, July 29, 2025

Cambodian MOH Announces 14th H5N1 Case of 2025

 

#18,814

Cambodia's summer surge of human bird flu infections continues with their 14th H5N1 infection of 2025, making their 11th reported over the past 2 months. This is the 30th case reported since February of 2023, when the first (2) cases in nearly a decade were reported by WHO.

Unlike H5N1 cases reported in the United States - which are due to a milder clade 2.3.4.4b - recent Cambodian cases have been caused by a new reassortment of an older clade of the H5N1 virus (recently renamed 2.3.2.1e) - which appears to be spreading rapidly through both wild birds and local poultry.



This morning the Cambodia MOH posted an announcement on their Facebook page on another H5N1 case - once again from Siem Reap Province (n=5) - involving a 26-year old man who is currently in intensive care after being exposed to sick or dead chickens.

I've reproduced the screen shot (in Cambodian) and have provided an English translation below.


Kingdom of Cambodia
Nation Religion King
Ministry of Health

Press Release


The Ministry of Health of the Kingdom of Cambodia would like to inform the public: There is another case of bird flu in a 26-year-old man who was confirmed positive for the H5N1 avian influenza virus by the National Institute of Public Health on July 26, 2025.
The patient lives in Kravan village, Nokor Thom commune, Siem Reap city, Siem Reap province and has symptoms of fever, cough, sore throat, abdominal pain, and difficulty breathing. The patient is currently undergoing intensive care by the medical team. Investigations revealed that there were dead chickens in the vicinity of the patient’s house, and the patient killed and slaughtered chickens 3 days before the patient became ill.

The emergency response teams of the national and sub-national ministries of health have been collaborating with the provincial agriculture departments and local authorities at all levels to actively investigate the outbreak of bird flu and respond according to technical methods and protocols, find sources of transmission in both animals and humans, and search for suspected cases and contacts to prevent further transmission in the community. They have also distributed Tamiflu to close contacts and conducted health education campaigns among residents in the affected villages.

The Ministry of Health would like to remind all citizens to always pay attention to and be vigilant about bird flu because H5N1 bird flu continues to threaten the health of our citizens. We would also like to inform you that if you have a fever, cough, sputum discharge, or difficulty breathing and have a history of contact with sick or dead chickens or ducks within 14 days before the start of the symptoms, do not go to gatherings or crowded places and seek consultation and treatment at the nearest health center or hospital immediately. Avoid delaying this, which puts you at high risk of eventual death.

How it is transmitted: H5N1 bird flu is a type of flu that is usually spread from sick birds to other birds, but it can sometimes be spread from birds to humans through close contact with sick or dead birds. Bird flu in humans is a serious illness that requires prompt hospital treatment. Although it is not easily transmitted from person to person, if it mutates, it can be contagious, just like seasonal flu.

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Address: Lot No. 80, Samdech Pen Nut Street (289)
Phone: (+855) 23 885 970
Website: www.moh.gov.kh
Sangkat Boeung Kak 2, Khan Toul Kork, Phnom Penh
Email: info@moh.gov.kh
Telegram: t.me/MOHCambodia

While summer outbreaks of avian flu are a bit unusual, the closer one gets to the equator, the more likely influenza is to circulate year-round. Siem Reap Province is only about 13 degrees N. Latitude.

As we discussed 3weeks ago, in Cambodia: Food Insecurity, Food Safety & H5N1 - despite repeated warnings to the public not to prepare or cook sick/dead poultry - scarce resources and hunger can sometimes drive people to take risks.

Given the frequent contacts reported with sick or dead poultry, there is currently no evidence to suggest human-to-human transmission of the virus.

Nevertheless, every human infection is another opportunity for the virus to better adapt to human physiology. So we watch these cases - and clusters - with considerable interest.

Stay tuned.