A three-year-old girl has fully recovered from a case of pneumonia caused by the H5N1 avian influenza virus after being treated at Kantha Bopha Children’s Hospital in Phnom Penh.
A Wednesday, October 22, announcement from the hospital explained that the girl, from Kamong Speu, was referred to the hospital after being diagnosed with pneumonia. On Wednesday, she was discharged and returned home smiling with her parents.
The hospital honoured its emergency medical team, who saved the girl from the life-threatening infection. The hospital also urged the public not to eat poultry that had died of illness, warning that doing so could cause H5N1 infection and severe pneumonia, which are difficult to treat and pose a serious risk to life.
Citizens were advised to follow the Ministry of Health’s disease prevention guidelines whenever they encounter sick poultry.
On October 16, the health ministry made a public announcement about the plucky toddler’s case, explaining that chickens and ducks at her home and that of her neighbours — in Chek village, Svay Chacheb commune, Basedth district — had been sick and dying for about a week before she fell ill.
She had been confirmed positive for H5N1 by the National Institute of Public Health and the Institut Pasteur du Cambodge on October 15.
Her symptoms including fever, diarrhea, coughing and abdominal pain.
Rapid response teams at the national and sub-national levels of the ministry worked with provincial agriculture officials and local authorities to investigate the outbreak.
They conducted an active epidemiological survey, following technical protocols to trace the infection source in both humans and animals, identified suspected cases and contacts, and distributed Tamiflu antiviral medication to close contacts. They also carried out health education campaigns in the affected village.
The ministry reminded the public to remain vigilant about H5N1 bird flu, warning that it continues to pose a serious threat to public health.
If people experience fever, coughing, a runny nose or breathing difficulties, and have a recent history of contact within 14 days with sick or dead poultry, they should avoid crowded places and immediately seek medical advice and examination at the nearest health centre or hospital, to prevent delays that could lead to life-threatening complications.
