#18,910
After a spate of cases over May-August (n=12) we've heard little from Cambodia for the past 10 weeks, that is, until this morning with the announcement of that nation's 16th H5N1 case of 2025; that of a 3 year-old girl from Kampong Speu Province who is undergoing intensive hospital care.
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.
The announcement was posted on the Cambodian MOH Facebook page (below), which I've machine translated.
Kingdom of Cambodia
Nation Religion King
Ministry of HealthPress Release
Bird flu case in 3-year-old girl
The Ministry of Health of the Kingdom of Cambodia would like to inform the public: There is another case of bird flu in a 3-year-old girl who was confirmed positive for the H5N1 avian influenza virus by the National Institute of Public Health and the Pasteur Institute of Cambodia on October 15, 2025. The patient lives in Chek village, Svay Chachep commune, Parset district, Kampong Speu province and has symptoms of fever, diarrhea, cough, and abdominal pain. The patient is currently receiving intensive treatment from a team of doctors. According to inquiries, chickens and ducks in the patient’s house and neighboring houses have been sick and dying for about a week before the child became sick.
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.
(Continue . . . )
As we discussed last July 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.
While most won't ever rise to the level of being a pandemic threat, it only takes one lucky overachiever to change our world overnight.
While we continue to focus on clade 2.3.4.4b H5 viruses, this case reminds us that there are many other iterations of HPAI H5 viruses circulating around the globe - with new ones emerging at an increasing rate - each on their own evolutionary trajectory.
While most won't ever rise to the level of being a pandemic threat, it only takes one lucky overachiever to change our world overnight.
Again.
