February 2, 2005

Cambodia's 1st bird flu death, health inspection follows

Health officials inspected several villages in southwestern Cambodia Wednesday as they try to prevent the deadly bird flu virus from spreading after it was linked to a local woman's death.

Cambodia Health Minister Nuth Sokhom traveled with World Health Organization officials to get firsthand knowledge of the disease in the district where the 25-year-old woman had lived before apparently succumbing to the H5N1 virus on Sunday.

"The purpose of the trip is to inspect the situation and strengthen surveillance measures on the ground," he said.

"We need to heighten attention in our surveillance effort so we can contain the problem to just one spot," he said, adding that Cambodia still does not yet have independent confirmation the woman died from bird flu.

The woman, who lived in a village about five kilometers (three miles) from the Vietnamese border, fell ill with a cough and high fever. She died Sunday. Vietnamese officials have confirmed that test results showed the deadly virus ashte cause of death.

She became the first confirmed bird flu victim in Cambodia, which had previously suffered no known human infections since the outbreak began early last year.

No bird flu outbreaks were reported in the area where the woman lived before she fell ill.

Ly Sovann, director of Health Ministry's communicable disease control office, said Cambodia was still treating the woman's death "as a suspected case until we have enough proof."

The government is seeking help from the WHO to confirm the cause of the death, he said.

Since the beginning of last year, a total of 45 people from Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia have died of bird flu.