Cambodia's health minister urges children to stay away from poultry to prevent bird flu

English.news.cn   2013-04-04 19:17:36 PHNOM PENH, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's Health Minister Mam Bunheng on Thursday appealed to parents to distance their children from poultry in order to prevent the spread of bird flu from poultry to humans, said a joint statement by the Health Ministry and the World Health Organization. "Avian Influenza H5N1 remains a serious threat to the health of all Cambodians, and kids also seem to be most vulnerable and are at high risk because they like to play where poultry are found," the minister said in the statement. "I'd like to appeal to parents and guardians to keep children away from sick or dead poultry and prevent them from playing with chickens and ducks," he said. He added that parents and guardians must also make sure children wash their hands with soap and water after any contact with poultry. "If they have fast or difficult breathing, they should seek medical attention at the nearest health facility and attending physicians must be made aware of any exposure to sick or dead poultry," he added. The minister's appeal was made after a six-year-old boy from Southwestern Kampot province was confirmed on Wednesday as the 10th person who contracted with Avian Influenza H5N1 in 2013. The boy developed fever, convulsions and dyspnea (shortness of breath) on March 27, and his mother had bought some medicines from a local pharmacy for him until his condition worsened. The boy was sent to the Kantha Bopha Hospital in Phnom Penh on March 31. "Currently, the boy is in a critical condition," the statement said Thursday, adding that it is not known whether the boy had direct contact with poultry. The country records the worst outbreak of the virus this year since the disease was first identified in 2004. To date, the country has reported 31 human cases of the virus, with 27 people killed. H5N1 influenza is a flu that normally spreads between sick poultry, but it can sometimes spread from poultry to humans, said the statement. Human H5N1 Avian Influenza is a very serious disease that requires hospitalization. Globally since 2003, there have been 623 laboratory confirmed human cases of H5N1 Avian Influenza with 371 related deaths, it said. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/health/2013-04/04/c_132284971.htm