15-year-old girl dies of H5N1 bird flu in Cambodia

A 15-year-old girl in Cambodia has died after testing positive for H5N1 bird flu, according to the health ministry, making it the country’s tenth human case so far this year.

The teenager, from Prey Veng province, fell ill after touching dead chickens which the family was using to cook food. The chickens, along with many others, had recently died in the village.

“Despite the care and assistance of the medical team, due to the serious condition of the patient, including fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath and fainting, the girl passed away on August 20,” the health ministry said in a statement.

LINK: A list of all human cases of H5N1 bird flu since 2021

It was not immediately known which strain was involved but it’s likely clade 2.3.2.1c, an older variant which is endemic in the Asian country, though no human cases were reported between 2014 and 2023. Since then, 16 cases have been found, including 10 this year.

“While the reasons behind this sudden resurgence after 9 years remain a mystery, a 2023 study found very lax attitudes regarding avian flu among the rural population,” said Michael Coston, of Avian Flu Diary.

“Although Cambodia continues to do an admirable job of reporting these hospitalized cases, it is entirely possible that some milder infections are going unreported,” he said. “Severe or critical cases are far more likely to be hospitalized, tested, and confirmed as H5N1 positive.”

A newer strain of H5N1, clade 2.3.4.4b, has raised concern due to its global spread and the growing number of cases in mammals, including an outbreak among dairy cows in the U.S. Only a limited number of human cases have been reported so far after contact with infected birds or cows.