PHNOM PENH (Xinhua): A 49-year-old man in Cambodia has tested positive for H5N1 avian influenza, marking the country's sixth human case of 2026, the Ministry of Health announced in a statement on Monday.
The patient, a resident of Tuol Kruos village in the Trapeang Prasat district of northwestern Oddar Meanchey province, was confirmed positive for the virus on Sunday by both the National Institute of Public Health and the Pasteur Institute in Cambodia. He is currently isolated at a local hospital, where he is receiving intensive medical care.
"An epidemiological investigation revealed that the man raised chickens on a farm and had direct contact with sick and dead poultry," the statement said, adding that the National Animal Health and Production Research Institute had previously confirmed on Sept. 23 that the farm's poultry was infected with the H5N1 virus.
Health authorities are actively investigating the source of the infection and tracing close contacts to prevent community transmission. As a preventive measure, the antiviral medication Tamiflu (oseltamivir) has been distributed to individuals who were in direct contact with the patient.
While H5N1 avian influenza primarily circulates among birds, it can cross over to humans, causing symptoms that range from mild fever and cough to severe, life-threatening respiratory illness.
The Ministry of Health emphasized that bird flu remains a serious threat to public health, urging the public to avoid handling or eating sick or dead poultry and to ensure all poultry products are thoroughly cooked. -- Xinhua
