PHNOM PENH, July 6 (Xinhua) -- A three-year-old boy from southern Cambodia's Takeo province has been confirmed for H5N1 human avian influenza, raising the number of the cases to six so far this year, the Ministry of Health said in a statement on Saturday.
"Laboratory results from the National Institute of Public Health and the Pasteur Institute in Cambodia showed on Friday that the boy was positive for H5N1 virus," the ministry said.
The patient, who lives in Kiri Vong district's Pou village, has the symptoms of fever, cough, fatigue and breathing difficulty, and is currently recovering after receiving intensive care from a team of doctors, the ministry added.
"According to queries, about 10 days before the boy fell ill, chicken and ducks in the village had died, and he touched and held dead chickens," the ministry said, adding that the patient's family had also cooked the dead poultry for food.
Health authorities are looking into the source of the infection and are examining any suspected cases or people who have been in contact with the victim in order to prevent an outbreak in the community.
Tamiflu (oseltamivir), an antiviral drug to prevent the bird flu from spreading, was also given out to people who had direct contact with the patient, the ministry said.
Among the six human cases of H5N1 bird flu this year were five children, one of whom had died, and an adult. All patients reportedly had a history of recent exposure to sick or dead poultry prior to their illness.
H5N1 influenza is a flu that normally spreads between sick poultry, but it can sometimes spread from poultry to humans, and its symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, and severe respiratory illness.
The ministry said bird flu still poses a threat to people's health, particularly children, urging people not to eat ill or dead poultry.
From 2003 to date, there were 68 cases of human infection with H5N1 influenza, including 42 deaths in the Southeast Asian country, according to the ministry. ■
