Not a new strain of H5N1

Swift response: Health workers at a village in Prey Veng province during a disinfection exercise. — AP

The viruses that infected two people in Cambodia with H5N1 avian influenza have been identified as an endemic clade of bird flu circulating in the country, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.

The cases reported last week had raised concerns they were caused by a new strain of H5N1, clade 2.3.4.4b, which emerged in 2020 and has caused record numbers of deaths among wild birds and domestic poultry in recent months.