In Cambodia, the father of the 11-year-old girl who died of bird flu also tested positive for the H5N1 virus but has no symptoms.
- A second case of bird flu has been identified in Cambodia.
- He is the father of the 11-year-old girl who died of this disease.
- The 49-year-old man has no symptoms at this time.
A second case of bird flu has been recorded in Cambodia. It is the father of the 11-year-old girl who died of the same disease this Wednesday, February 22. So far, the 49-year-old has no symptoms.
Avian flu caused by the H5N1 virus affects humans
According the Pasteur Institutebird flu is “a viral disease that is rampant in birds, and whose mortality rate is very high in farmed birds (chickens, geese, etc.).“Almost all avian viruses do not affect humans. But the one named H5N1 is one of those that can be pathogenic for humans and it is precisely the one to which the little girl and her father tested positive.
There had not been a case of bird flu in Cambodia since 2014. This 11-year-old girl was therefore the first in almost 10 years. She tested positive on February 16 and died less than a week later at a children’s hospital in the capital, Phnom Penh.
“The majority of human cases of H5N1 infection (…) are associated with direct or indirect contact with infected poultry, alive or dead. Disease control in animals is essential to reduce the risk to humans”, can we read on the site of the World Health Organization (WHO).
Currently, an investigation is underway to understand how the little girl caught the virus. One of the tracks is contamination by animals. Indeed, dead wild birds were found near a lake near the village where the little girl’s family lives.
Cases of bird flu in mammals
The people with whom the little girl has been in contact are also monitored. Twelve in total but, so far, only the father has tested positive for the virus.
“In recent weeks, cases of H5N1 avian influenza have been reported in several mammals, including mink, otters, foxes and sea lions, explained Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO, during a speech on February 8, 2023. The H5N1 virus has been spreading widely in wild birds and poultry for 25 years, but recent transmission of the virus to mammals needs to be closely monitored.“At this time, he considered the risk to humans to be low.
As a reminder, you should never touch or pick up dead or sick wild animals, because you can be infected with the bird flu virus.
