Ministry of Health: No Human-to-Human Transmission of H5N1 in Cambodia

The Ministry of Health of Cambodia has rejected any incorrect or misinformation published by local and international media about H5N1 in Cambodia, stressing that there is no human-to-human H5N1 virus transmission in the Kingdom.
According to the ministry’s press release AKP received this morning, there have been only two cases of H5N1 detected at Rolaing village, Romleach commune, Sithor Kandal district, Prey Veng province as of Mar. 2, 2023. The two confirmed cases include an 11-year and 6-month-old girl who has passed away, and her father who has fully recovered and has been discharged from a district hospital.
“Both cases have been concluded as H5N1 virus transmission from poultry, and this event is NOT a human-to-human transmission,” underlined the source.
As of Mar. 2, 2023, it pointed out, a total of 51 samples from humans (20 close contacts, 31 with Influenza-like Illness symptoms) have been collected with all negative results. The investigation team is still on standby for active case finding and will collect samples for testing from individuals with Influenza-like Illness symptoms.
The Virology Unit at Institut Pasteur du Cambodge has confirmed the presence of A/H5N1 in the samples and has made the full genome virus sequence available on GISAID on Feb. 26, 2023. The A/H5N1 virus isolated from the case in Cambodia shows changes that are anticipated when the virus goes from a bird to a human, but this does not indicate that the virus is mutating or adapting to become human-to-human transmissible. The Cambodian A/H5N1 virus does not have the mutations associated with increased mammalian transmission.
“The Ministry of Health of Cambodia urges all media organisations to take responsibility for the information they disseminate and to ensure that the reporting is based on sound scientific evidence and accurate quotations,” read the press release.

Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse