2 new bird flu cases confirmed in Cambodia, 1 dies

Two more new human cases of avian influenza have been confirmed for the H5N1 virus in Cambodia, bringing the number of the cases to 20 so far this year, a hospital spokesman said Thursday. A five-year-old girl from Takeo province and a two-year-old girl from Kampot province, who already died on Wednesday, marked the 19th and 20th confirmed cases of avian influenza this year, said Dr. Denis Laurent, deputy director of Kantha Bopha Children's Hospital. "The little girl from Kampot was in very serious condition when she arrived at our hospital and died Wednesday," he told Xinhua. "The little girl from Takeo still hospitalizes, but her condition is stable." Only nine out of the 20 cases this year survived. H5N1 influenza is a flu that normally spreads between sick poultry, but it can sometimes spread from poultry to humans, according to the World Health Organization. It is a very serious disease that requires hospitalization. Cambodia saw the worst outbreak of the virus this year since it was first identified in 2004. To date, the country has recorded 41 human cases of the virus, killing 30 people, Xinhua reported.