February 14, 2005

Cambodia confirms bird flu in poultry near capital

Cambodia has confirmed that the H5N1 virus strain has been detected in dead chickens at a small poultry farm in the province of Kandal, just south of Phnom Penh.

Bird flu first hit Cambodia in September last year, but the virus which has killed humans in neighboring Vietnam and Thailand did not claim its first Cambodian victim until last month, when a 25-year-old woman succumbed in Vietnam.

The Agriculture Ministry has said that though there are no new suspected cases, the disease is of major concern as Cambodia has a poor health system.

Most bird flu victims have caught the virus from infected poultry, but experts fear it could mutate into a form that is easily passed between humans, unleashing a global flu pandemic that could kill millions.