An 11 - year - old girl in Cambodia has reportedly died after contracting H5N1 avian influenza , also cognize as bird flu , while her father has also screen positive for the computer virus . It seem to be the second substantiate human death linked to a surge in cases among birds and mammal since 2020 , and this is the first documented human outbreak of H5N1 in the country in nearly a decennary . official are now testing the kinfolk ’s close contact , some of whom have shown symptom , but it is indecipherable whether these cases were propagate from person to person or through a shared exposure to infected fauna .
Kampuchean health officialsreportedthe daughter ’s diagnosis and decease on Wednesday , soon after it had find . She is said to have fallen badly a week in the beginning and was taken to a children ’s hospital in Phnom Penh . On Friday , officials confirmed that her father has tested positive as well . Eleven other contact lens have been identify and test at this time , including some who are currently know malady . Early Friday aurora , the World Health Organization sound out it is working with Cambodia to inquire the outbreak .
Since 2020 , a novel H5N1 strain , belong to the clade 2.3.4.4b , has spread far across the world and caused large and baneful outbreak in wild and domestic birds . What ’s made this deform all the more concerning is that it ’s also propagate to a variety of mammal , including minks , raccoons , and seals . Most of these outbreaks have been traced back to verbatim contact with birds , but there is evidence that the computer virus is at least occasionally spread between mammals .

Royal Palace in Phnom PenhPhoto: James Merluzzi (Shutterstock)
Avian influenza is regarded as one of the most likely germs to become a pandemic scourge . The generally high mutation pace of influenza and the novelty of a strain that successfully derail from other animals to man has the potentiality to create a flu that spread rapidly from person to person , while having a much higher human death charge per unit than the seasonal flu or most any other infective disease .
However , human cases of avian influenza are more often than not rare and typically do n’t spread between people . So far , this new strain has been even less vulgar in homo than others , with only six casesreportedsince 2020 prior to this current irruption in Cambodia ( the accurate variant of H5N1 in these latest human case has n’t been confirmed yet , it seems ) . agree to Cambodian Health Minister Mam Bunhen , these are the first human cases of H5N1 seen in the land since 2014 . Unlike at the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic , there is an existing word of mouth of flu vaccine and antiviral technology that would countenance us to reply to potentially serious outbreaks within a relatively short period of meter .
While two cases in the same folk pass on empty the possibility of human being - to - human transmitting , it ’s far from certain . official have describe that many of the syndicate ’s farm birds had recently die as well , indicate the more mutual itinerary of animal - to - man transmission .

At the same sentence , WHO official are worried about the emergence of this raw melodic phrase of bird flu , and it ’s potential that these a la mode human case may lead them to reevaluate its threat level . In December , the agencydeterminedthat these var. posed a low risk of infection to human being .
“ The spheric H5N1 situation is worrying given the wide spread of the computer virus in birds around the cosmos and the increase reports of cases in mammal including humans , ” say Sylvie Briand , theatre director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention at WHO , in a virtual imperativeness briefing Friday . “ WHO takes the danger from this computer virus seriously and urges raise vigilance from all countries . ”
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