The father of an 11-year-old girl who died of bird flu in Prey Veng province has tested positive after tests were carried out on people who had been in contact with her, the Ministry of Health said on Friday.
The Ministry sent an investigation team to collaborate with local authorities in Prey Veng and collected samples from 12 people who have been in direct contact with the girl, who died on February 22.
As of Friday, only one person had tested positive for the deadly H5N1 strain – the 49-year-old father of the girl. However, he has not yet shown any significant symptoms, Mam Bunheng, Minister of Health, said in the statement.
The bird flu cases are among the first detected in the country since 2014, the Minister said, reiterating that H5N1 avian influenza continues to pose a threat to people and urged vigilance.
The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday posted on its Facebook page a video of famous martial arts actor, Jackie Chan, sitting among other children playing paper birds with the message to avoid playing with dead or sick birds.
The CDC said that the H5N1 bird flu outbreak has returned and urged people to be careful and call 115 for more information.
(seng.mengheng@kiripost.com)
