Cambodia's health ministry today reported that a 6-year-old girl has died from H5N1 avian flu, continuing a pattern this year of regular, sporadic cases that have made the country the hardest hit so far this year.
A joint statement from the ministry and the World Health Organization (WHO) said the girl, from Kampot province in southern Cambodia, died at a children's hospital in Phnom Penh on Jun 28, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported today.
The girl got sick on Jun 24 and was treated at a private clinic before her condition worsened. She was transferred to Kantha Bopha Hospital on Jun 28, where she died later that night, despite treatment with oseltamivir (Tamiflu) at the facility, according to a report from Xinhua, China's state news agency.
An investigation found poultry deaths had recently been reported in the girl's village and that she had probably been exposed to sick and dead birds before she became ill, the report said.
Cambodia has now reported 12 cases this year, and 9 have been fatal. The girl's case pushes Cambodia overall H5N1 total to 33 cases and 28 deaths, based on the WHO's June tally. However, the health ministry said the girl's illness would boost the number of illnesses to 34, so it's not clear if the country has another H5N1 case to report.
In its June update on global H5N1 activity, the WHO said Cambodia's cases this year have all been from the southern part of the country and reflect sporadic infections related to contact with sick poultry.
Last month a research team from Cambodia and London identified a host of obstacles to treating H5N1 patients in Cambodia, one of Southeast Asia's poorest countries.
Their study, published in BMC Public Health, found that the care of usually young patients is rife with hospitalization delays, inadequate antiviral treatment, and little access to mechanical ventilation. The group's analysis covered H5N1 cases reported in Cambodia from 2005 through August 2011.
See also:
Jul 2 AFP story
Jul 2 Xinhua story
Jun 6 CIDRAP News scan "Study tallies obstacles to treating H5N1 patients in Cambodia"
