An 11-year-old girl in Cambodia has died of bird flu in the country’s first known human H5N1 infection since 2014, health officials said.
Avian influenza, also known as bird flu, usually spreads through poultry and was not considered a threat to humans until an outbreak in 1997 among visitors to live poultry markets in Hong Kong.
Most human cases worldwide have involved direct contact with infected poultry, but recent concerns have arisen about infections in a wide range of mammals and the possibility that the virus could spread more easily between people.
Watch the latest news on Channel 7 or stream for free on 7plus
The girl, from rural southeastern Prey Veng province, fell ill on February 16 and was taken to a hospital in the capital Phnom Penh for treatment.
She was diagnosed on Wednesday after developing a fever of up to 39C with a cough and sore throat and dying shortly thereafter, the health ministry said in a statement Wednesday night.
An 11-year-old girl in Cambodia has died of bird flu in the country’s first known human H5N1 infection since 2014, health officials said.
Credit: Smith/Gado Collection
/
Getty ImagesHealth officials took samples from a dead wild bird at a wildlife sanctuary near the girl’s home, the ministry said in a further statement on Thursday. It said teams in the area would also warn residents not to touch dead and sick birds.
Cambodian Health Minister Mam Bunheng warned that avian flu poses a particularly high risk to children who may be feeding or collecting eggs from domesticated poultry, playing with the birds or cleaning their cages.
Symptoms of H5N1 infection are similar to those of other flus, including cough, pain and fever, and in severe cases patients can develop life-threatening pneumonia.
Cambodia had 56 human cases of H5N1 from 2003 to 2014, 37 of which were fatal, according to the World Health Organization.
Around the world, about 870 human infections and 457 deaths were reported to the WHO in 21 countries. But the pace has slowed, and over the past seven years there have been about 170 infections and 50 deaths.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus earlier this month expressed concern about avian flu infections in mammals such as mink, otters, foxes and sea lions.
“H5N1 has been spreading widely in wild birds and poultry for 25 years, but recent spreads to mammals need to be closely monitored,” he warned.
In January, a 9-year-old girl in Ecuador became the first reported case of human infection in Latin America and the Caribbean. She was treated with antiviral drugs.
Tedros said earlier this month that the WHO still estimates the risk of bird flu to humans as low.
“But we cannot assume that this will remain the case and we must prepare for any change in the status quo,” he said. He advised people not to touch dead or sick wildlife and countries to step up their surveillance of environments where people and animals interact.
Scientists are closely monitoring the global outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza
Coles shopper runs out of store yelling after man trades at checkout
An elderly man miraculously recovers from a deadly mosquito-borne virus.