Bird Flu Linked to Two More Deaths

The deaths of two people in Cambodia have been linked to the H5N1 bird flu, according to local reports.

The death of a 50-year-old man was announced by Cambodian officials over the weekend. The man owned around 50 chickens with his neighbor, local news reports. Penh’s infection was confirmed on October 7.

“The [Ministry of Health] officials are looking into the source of the infection and are examining any suspected cases or people who have been in contact with the victim,” the nation’s leaders said.

The man lived in Svay Rieng, a province near Cambodia’s border with Vietnam. Officials are working to find if there are more cases of bird flu in the region.

Another 2-year-old girl died from the disease, Noan Sereiboth, a local reporter confirmed on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. The young girl died in Prey Veng, a rural province in southern Cambodia.

Health officials confirmed the death Monday. Limited information is available about the young girl. Prey Veng is the same area that recorded the death of an 11-year-old girl from the bird flu in February. 

The H5N1 bird flu has been among many strains rapidly spreading across the world in recent years, infecting millions of birds both domestic and wild. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns that in the United States alone, at least 58 million domesticated birds in 47 states have been affected.

Human cases of the virus are rare — only one American case in April 2022 has been recorded during this extended outbreak — though the virus is deadly when it infects humans. The disease can spread to humans if they interact with an infected bird, and then touch their eyes, nose or mouth before washing their hands.

While eating an infected bird cannot transmit the virus, the disease had a massive impact on the global poultry markets, with commercial flocks forced to cull birds to prevent outbreaks.

To curb the outbreak, officials in France will start vaccinating some birds, with American officials considering similar measures.