#18,736
After going nearly a decade without a reported case, over the past 27 months Cambodia has reported 20 cases, with 4 cases (all fatal) reported since the first of the year. The vast majority of cases have been in adolescents, children, and toddlers.Unlike from the milder 2.3.4.4b clade circulating in the United States, Europe, and much of the rest of the world, recent cases in Cambodia and Vietnam have stemmed from a resurgent older, and more virulent, clade (formerly clade 2.3.2.1c but recently redubbed as 2.3.2.1e).
Of these 20 Cambodia cases reported since early 2023, only 4 have been in adults and 3 of them survived. Among the 16 children and adolescents infected - while several had mild symptoms - most were severe and half (n=8) have died.
Once again, today's case comes after reports of numerous poultry deaths in a village.
I've posted a screenshot from the Cambodian Facebook page announcing the case, and an English translation. I'll have a brief postscript after the break.
(translation)
Kingdom of Cambodia
Nation Religion King
Ministry of Health
Press Release
On
Bird flu death in 11-year-old boy
The Ministry of Health of the Kingdom of Cambodia would like to inform the public that there is 1 case of bird flu in an 11-year-old boy who was confirmed positive for the H5N1 avian influenza virus by the Pasteur Institute of Cambodia on May 27, 2025, residing in Srey Sampoung village, My Kraing commune, Samrong Tong district, Kampong Speu province. Despite the care and rescue efforts of the medical team, the child died on May 27, 2025 due to the cause of death on arrival at the hospital in a very serious condition, including fever, cough, shortness of breath and severe difficulty breathing. Investigations revealed that chickens and ducks near the patient’s house had been sick and dying for a week before the child started feeling sick.
The emergency response team of the national and sub-national ministries of health has been collaborating with 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, continue to search for sources of transmission in both animals and humans, and continue to search for suspected cases and contacts to prevent further transmission to others in the community, as well as distribute Tamiflu to close contacts and conduct health education campaigns for citizens 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, sputum discharge, or difficulty breathing and have a history of contact with sick or dead chickens or ducks within 14 days before the start of the symptoms, do not go to gatherings or crowded places and seek consultation 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 can mutate, it can be contagious, just like the seasonal flu.
How to prevent:
- Do not touch or eat sick or dead chickens and ducks. Wear gloves and a mask or cover your nose with a scarf before handling chickens for food. Then blanch them in boiling water before plucking their feathers.
- Adhere to hygiene practices, wash hands frequently before handling food, especially after touching animals, cleaning poultry feathers, or other objects that may be sources of contamination.
- Cook food thoroughly before eating, especially meat, poultry, and eggs. Do not eat raw or undercooked eggs, and keep raw and cooked foods separate. Clean cooking utensils properly.
- If there are many sick or dead chickens at home or in the village and they have symptoms of fever, cough, sputum discharge, or difficulty breathing, please urgently seek consultation and treatment at the nearest health center or hospital to avoid delay, which puts you at high risk of eventual death.
- Therefore, the public is requested to be aware and take care of their health in the above preventive measures. The Ministry of Health will continue to provide information regarding public health issues on the Ministry of Health's official social media channels, as well as the official Facebook page of the Department of Communicable Disease Control and the website www.cdcmoh.gov.kh.
For more information, please contact the Ministry of Health's emergency hotline number 115 toll-free.
The sharing, and cooking, of sick or dying poultry is something we've seen reported previously with these outbreaks, and was a major risk cited by that study. The authors noted:
- Cambodia's higher-risk behaviors or vulnerability groups need priority intervention to reduce infectious and zoonotic diseases.
- Furthermore, we noticed that 23% of participants cooked sick or dead poultries for their families.
- This study found that 49% reported poultry illness and deaths to local authorities.
Although the clade 2.3.2.1x H5N1 virus appears to be currently geographically limited to the Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos regions of Southeast Asia, we've seen reports suggesting it continues to reassort with the newer clade 2.3.4.4b virus (see FAO Statement On Reassortment Between H5N1 Clade 2.3.4.4b & Clade 2.3.2.1c Viruses In Mekong Delta Region).
