#19,054
Just three days before the Lunar New Year, Cambodia's MOH has announced the first HPAI H5 human infection since last November. This is the 36th case reported since February of 2023, and unlike the milder H5N1 cases reported in the United States, > 40% of those have died.
While we are usually informed by Cambodian officials as soon as a diagnosis is made, this afternoon the Cambodian MOH Facebook page announced their latest (now fully recovered) case, that of a 30-year-old man from Kampot Province.Cambodia's recent cases are due to 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.
It isn't clear exactly when this person was infected, or how long he was hospitalized.
I've provide a translation of the announcement below.
(Translation)
Kingdom of Cambodia
Ministry of Health
Press Release
A case of bird flu in a 30-year-old man
The Ministry of Health of the Kingdom of Cambodia would like to inform the public: There is 1 case of bird flu in a 30-year-old man who was confirmed positive for the H5N1 avian influenza virus by the National Institute of Public Health. The patient resides in Meanrith village, Kandol commune, Teuk Chhou district, Kampot province and has symptoms of fever, cough and abdominal pain.
After receiving careful care from the medical team, the patient recovered and returned home on February 14, 2026. Investigations revealed that there was a dead chicken in the patient's house and it was cooked 3 days before the patient started feeling sick.
The emergency response team of the national and sub-national ministries of health has been collaborating with the teams of 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 the source of transmission in both animals and humans, and search for suspected cases and contacts to prevent further transmission in the community, as well as distribute Tamiflu to close contacts and conduct 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, runny nose, or difficulty breathing and have a history of contact with sick or dead chickens or ducks within 14 days before the onset of symptoms, do not go to gatherings or crowded places and seek consultation and examination 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.
While we tend to focus on clade 2.3.4.4b H5N1 viruses, these case remind us that there are several other subclades of HPAI H5 circulating around the globe - with new ones emerging at an increasing rate - each on their own evolutionary trajectory.
