Cambodia reports 10th bird flu case this year

English.news.cn   2013-04-03 19:25:27 PHNOM PENH, April 3 (Xinhua) -- A six-year-old boy from Southwestern Kampot province was confirmed to have contracted with Avian Influenza H5N1, bringing the number of the cases to 10 and the death toll remained at eight in 2013, a health expert said Wednesday. "The boy was admitted to the Kantha Bopha Hospital in Phnom Penh on March 31 for severe pneumonia, and he was tested positive for H5N1 at the Instituts Pasteur on Tuesday,"Dr. Denis Laurent, deputy director of the hospital, told Xinhua."The boy is still alive, but in severe conditions." The country sees the worst outbreak of the virus this year since the disease was first identified in 2004. To date, the country has recorded 31 human cases of the virus, killing 27 people. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen repeatedly appealed to television and radio stations to broadly educate people about the outbreaks of Avian Influenza H5N1 virus, which has killed eight people so far this year. "I'd like to appeal to television and radio stations to jointly broadcast educational spots about bird flu prevention as much as possible in order to reach people in remote areas," he said late last month at a graduation ceremony in Phnom Penh. "Television and radio hosts should also spread their educational messages to educate people about the virus." "Health officials alone cannot prevent the virus spread, but participation from everyone is very important to prevent and eliminate it," he said. The noticeable signs of bird flu included fever with temperature higher than 38 degrees Celsius, difficulty in breathing, and before having fever, the patient must have touched or eaten poultry. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-04/03/c_132283023.htm