March 23, 2004

Cambodia Winning Bird Flu Battle

Cambodian and international health officials said Tuesday they are pleased with the country's progress in fighting bird flu, but cautioned that it was too soon to declare it free of the disease.

Cambodia, which hasn't had a confirmed human case of bird flu, has had 10 outbreaks of the disease in animals, mostly in southern Cambodia. The last outbreak was Feb. 21.

World Health Organization medical epidemiologist Sean Tobin said the body was "encouraged with the way the outbreak seems to have come under control."

But he said WHO and others "think that it's too early to say that the outbreak has...finished completely."

Bird flu has ravaged flocks in parts of Asia, and has spread to humans in Thailand and Vietnam, killing 24 people. More than 30,000 chickens, ducks and other fowl have been slaughtered in Cambodia to prevent the spread of the disease.

Although efforts in Cambodia have helped prevent a human case of bird flu, officials still have to be vigilant, said Health Minister Hong Sun Huot.

"We cannot declare that we are free of bird flu," he said. "We are not saying that now we have to abandon...measures because we see that the cases are going down."

It's possible that bird flu could re-emerge in some parts of the region, Tobin said.

Cambodia's Agriculture Ministry has asked foreign donors to help fund 40 days of bird flu investigations in 16 provinces, including sampling of poultry, said Suon Sothoeun, deputy director of the ministry's Animal Health Department.

It submitted the proposal within the last week; the program hasn't begun, Suon Sothoeun said.