Cambodia sees spike in bird flu deaths

Health officials in Cambodia are concerned over the last eight deaths from H5N1, also known as bird flu.

Story highlights

• Eight people, mostly children have died in Cambodia from bird flu
• Cambodia has had 19 reported deaths in the last 10 years, before recent oubtreak
• H5N1 is rare among humans, but potentially fatal

In the last two months, eight people in Cambodia have died from bird flu, a rare but deadly disease causing concern among health authorities. Six of the victims have been children.

The H5N1 virus, known to be highly contagious to poultry, typically resembles the flu when contracted by humans. But it kills more than half the people it infects, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Of the nine confirmed H5N1 cases in Cambodia this year, only an 8-month old infant has survived. The infant had received medical attention early, said Dr. Ly Sovann, the Ministry of Health's deputy director for communicable diseases control in Cambodia.

The eight bird flu deaths in the last six weeks -- considering that Cambodia has had 19 reported deaths from the disease in the last 10 years -- has sparked increased surveillance efforts. Health officials are warning people to wash their hands often, to keep children away from poultry and to avoid eating sick poultry.

So far, the nine cases are not believed to be related, although most of them came from the southern region. Read more