The Ministry of Health (MoH) of the Kingdom of Cambodia has announced a confirmed case of human infection with avian influenza A (H5N1) virus.

The case was a 7 year old female from Prasat village, Prasat commune, Kampong Trabek district, Prey Veng Province. She developed symptoms on 24 May, was initially treated by local private practitioners with no effect and was later admitted to Kantha Bopha Children Hospital on 31 May. She died on 7 June, seven days after admission.

There have been reports of poultry die off in her village and the case is reported to have had exposure to sick poultry. The female is the sixteenth person in Cambodia to become infected with the H5N1 virus and the fourteenth to die from complications of the disease. All six cases of H5N1 infections in humans in Cambodia this year have been fatal.

The National and local Rapid Response Team (RRT) is conducting outbreak investigation and response following the national protocol.