April 6, 2006

UN official warns bird flu a real danger in Cambodia

Bird flu remains "a real and present danger" in Cambodia, a senior UN official warned Thursday (Apr 6), a day after the H5N1 virus claimed the life of a sixth victim in the country.

The 12-year-old boy, from the southeastern province of Prey Veng, died from bird flu on Wednesday (Apr 5), two weeks after a 3-year-old girl succumbed in a village southwest of the capital, Phnom Penh.

Tests conducted confirmed that the boy's cause of death was the H5N1 virus, said Megge Miller, a World Health Organization epidemiologist.

She said several chickens and ducks had died in and near the boy's backyard over a 10-day period before he fell sick on Mar 29.

The two recent fatalities "bring home yet again that bird flu is a real and present danger in Cambodia," said Douglas Gardner, country representative of the UN Development Programme.

"We would all like to think that these deaths have not been in vain, but should spur on immediate action and urgent distribution of vital information," said Gardner, who also coordinates all UN agencies in Cambodia.

He made the comments at a signing ceremony for US$765,000 in aid from the Australian government to the UN Children's Fund to implement a bird flu awareness campaign in Cambodia. The funds will be used to produce health education posters and radio and television spots.