A 2-year-old girl from southwestern Kampot province died of H5N1 human avian influenza on Friday, bringing the number of cases to nine so far this year, said a joint statement from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Cambodian Health Ministry on Monday. Five out of the nine cases this year survived, Xinhua reported. "The girl died on March 14 - a day after being admitted to the Kantha Bopha Children Hospital," the statement said, adding that the toddler had symptoms of fever, cough and dyspnea. The statement said that last month, about 90 percent of chickens in her village died, and the girl had direct contact with dead chickens while her relatives prepared them for food and the girl ate them. Bird flu remains a serious threat to the health of all Cambodians and children seem to be most vulnerable and are at high risk, Health Minister Mam Bunheng said. H5N1 influenza is a flu that normally spreads between sick poultry, but it can sometimes spread from poultry to humans, according to the WHO. The virus was first identified in Cambodia 10 years ago. To date, the country has reported 56 human cases of the virus, killing 37 people, the statement said.
