Over the past twenty years, 868 cases of the presence of the H5N1 virus in humans have been confirmed by the WHO, and 457 people have died from it. But the principle of transmission between individuals remains to be confirmed for the time being. In Cambodia, the health authorities have ruled out the hypothesis of a transmission of avian flu between human beings, for the case of a man who tested positive for the virus after the death of his sick daughter.
On February 23, the country recorded its first death in nine years linked to avian flu: an 11-year-old girl from the rural province of Prey Veng (Southeast). She tested positive for H5N1, a highly contagious strain in birds, and then her father tested positive as well.
Their case has caused concern, in the midst of an avian flu epidemic in many parts of the world, which has, in several cases, required the slaughter of tens of millions of birds.
“An investigation showed that they contracted the virus through contact with birds in the village. No transmission between father and daughter was found”, announced Tuesday, February 28 in the evening the government agency for health monitoring. The 49-year-old man, who had no symptoms, recovered from the illness and was discharged from hospital, the statement said.
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday mentioned a “worrying situation”, while recalling that the risk in humans remains low. The virus can be transmitted to humans most often through direct contact with infected farmed poultry.