Cambodia: Bird flu claims child's life; 1st known case of H5N1 strain in nation since 2014

A 11-year-old girl in Cambodia died after being infected by bird flu, scientifically known as avian influenza. According to a statement by health minister Mam Bunheng, the 11-year-old became the first confirmed human case of the H5N1 virus in the country since 2014.

The girl who hails from Prey Veng province in eastern Cambodia was identified as having avian flu after developing a fever and cough on February 16. She was taken to the national children's hospital in Phnom Penh after her condition worsened, however, she passed away on February 22, according to the health ministry.

Risk to people by the avian influenza is still minimal

The World Organisation for Animal Health recently reported that since early last year, bird flu has devastated farms all over the world, killing more than 200 million birds. This has happened either directly from the illness or as a result of mass culls taken to curb the spread of the infection. The H5N1 influenza has expanded to mammals, according to the World Health Organisation, but the risk to people is still minimal.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a briefing that although recent instances of infections in mink, otters, and sealions "need to be monitored closely," he also added that H5N1 has been spreading among wild and domestic birds for 25 years.

Individuals who have been infected with the avian influenza in the past have usually worked on poultry farms or been in close contact with infected birds. Citizens of the south-east Asian nation were warned by health officials to handle sick or dead animals or birds and to phone a hotline if they suspected they had become ill.