Cambodia today reported its thirteenth human H5N1 avian flu case of the year, part of an overall acceleration of activity that has been underway since 2023.
The latest case involves a 6-year-old boy from Tbong Khumum province in the east-central part of the country, according to a health ministry Facebook post translated and posted by Avian Flu Diary, an infectious disease news blog. ,
Cases this year have been spread among 11 provinces, with most in the southern half of the country. The latest case marks the eighth since early June.
The boy has serious symptoms, including breathing difficulties, and is hospitalized in the intensive care unit (ICU).
Investigators found that chickens were sick and dying in the boy’s village, and there were nearly 100 dead chickens at his relative’s house. The boy reportedly brought one of the dead chickens home for his grandmother to cook.
H5N1 is known to circulate in Cambodian poultry, and most infected with the virus had close contact with poultry or poultry environments.
Coordinated One Health response
Many people infected in Cambodia in recent years have had serious or fatal illnesses. Also, many of latest human cases have involved a reassortant (2.3.2.1e) between an older H5N1 clade that has circulated in Cambodia since 2014 and the newer clade 2.3.4.4b virus that is circulating globally.
The ministry said it has been working with the agriculture ministry and local authorities to investigate the sources of transmission in animals and people, search for other related cases, distribute oseltamivir (Tamiflu), and educate village residents about the avian flu threat.
Erik Karlsson, PhD, with the National Influenza Center and Pasteur Institute in Cambodia, said on X today Cambodia continues to take a strong One Health surveillance and response systems. “Coordinated action across human, animal, and environmental sectors is essential to detect spillover early and prevent wider impacts.”