Child dies from H5N1 bird flu in Cambodia; 6th fatal case this year

An 11-year-old boy has died from H5N1 bird flu in Cambodia, according to the health ministry, marking the country’s fourth human case—and the sixth reported death worldwide—linked to the virus this year.

The child, from Srey Sampoung village in Kampong Speu province, recently fell ill and died on Tuesday after being taken to hospital in very serious condition, according to a statement from the Cambodian Health Ministry. Sick chickens and ducks were found near the child’s home.

Health officials are investigating the case and collecting samples from individuals who had contact with the patient. Close contacts are being treated with Tamiflu as a preventive measure, which is standard practice following H5N1 detections in Cambodia.

The child experienced symptoms including fever, cough, shortness of breath, and severe respiratory distress, the Health Ministry said.

“If you experience 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 onset of symptoms—do not attend gatherings or crowded places, and seek consultation and treatment at the nearest health center or hospital immediately,” the ministry advised.

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

This latest case follows three human infections reported earlier this year: a 3-year-old boy who died in March, a 2-year-old child who died in February after playing and sleeping near a chicken coop, and a 28-year-old man who died in January following contact with sick poultry.

It also comes after a case in neighboring Vietnam, where in April an 8-year-old girl was diagnosed with H5N1 and developed severe illness. That case occurred shortly after India confirmed its first H5N1 case since 2021, involving a 2-year-old girl who died—the country’s second recorded death from the virus.

It is not yet known which strain of H5N1 was involved in the Cambodian case, though it is likely clade 2.3.2.1c, an older variant that remains endemic in the country. The case in Cambodia is also the 1,000th human case of H5N1 bird flu since the first outbreak in 1997.

A newer strain of the virus, clade 2.3.4.4b, has raised global concern due to its rapid spread and increasing infections in mammals, including humans. It has also been responsible for widespread outbreaks in dairy cows in the United States.

That clade has been identified in at least 92 human cases—most of them in the U.S.—since it was first detected in the United Kingdom in 2022. It has resulted in three confirmed deaths, including the recent death of a 3-year-old girl in northern Mexico in April, which marked the country’s first-ever case of H5N1 avian influenza.