February 26, 2004

Two New Suspected Bird Flu Cases In Cambodia

Cambodia reported two new suspected outbreaks of bird flu, one in the northwest, the farthest the virus has spread in the country, an official said Wednesday.
 
Suon Sothoeun, deputy director of the Agriculture Ministry's Animal Health Department, said one suspected outbreak was in Kandal province near Phnom Penh, where a family raising poultry found three sick geese.
 
The other possible outbreak was in the northwestern province of Siem Reap - home to Cambodia's famous Angkor temples - where a family raising a few chickens found two ill birds.
 
Results from tests on the dead birds are not yet available, Suon Sothoeun said.
 
Cambodia has confirmed three outbreaks of bird flu, all near Phnom Penh. More than 25,000 chickens, ducks and swans have been culled in the country in an effort to stop the disease from spreading.
 
The country has not had a confirmed case of bird flu in humans. Two Cambodians suspected of having the disease in recent weeks have tested negative.
 
Cambodia is one of eight Asian countries battling a form of bird flu that has jumped to humans, killing at least 22 people in Vietnam and Thailand. Two other Asian countries have reported outbreaks of a milder form.