Phnom Penh, Oct 17 (IANS) A three-year-old girl from western Cambodia’s Kampong Speu province has been confirmed for H5N1 human avian influenza, raising the number of cases to 16 so far this year, the Ministry of Health has said in a statement.

A laboratory result from the National Institute of Public Health showed on October 15 that the little girl was positive for the H5N1 virus, said the statement issued late on Thursday.

The patient had the symptoms of fever, diarrhoea, cough, and stomachache, and she is currently receiving intensive care from a team of doctors, it added.

The victim lives in Chek village of Basedth district.

Investigations found that chickens and ducks had gotten sick and died subsequently at the girl’s and her neighbour’s house about a week before she fell ill, the statement said.

Health authorities are looking into the source of the infection and are examining any suspected cases or people who have been in contact with the victim in order to prevent an outbreak in the community, Xinhua news agency reported.

Tamiflu (oseltamivir), an antiviral drug to prevent the bird flu from spreading, was also distributed to people who had direct contact with the ill-fated girl, the statement said.

So far this year, the Southeast Asian country recorded a total of 16 human cases of H5N1 bird flu, with five deaths, according to the Ministry of Health.

According to the World Health Organisation, Avian influenza is a subtype of the influenza virus that infects birds and mammals, including humans in rare instances.

The goose/Guangdong-lineage of H5N1 avian influenza viruses first emerged in 1996 and have been causing outbreaks in birds since then. Since 2020, a variant of these viruses belonging to the H5 clade 2.3.4.4b has led to an unprecedented number of deaths in wild birds and poultry in many countries in Africa, Asia and Europe. In 2021, the virus spread to North America, and in 2022, to Central and South America.

–IANS

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