Cambodia reports 9th Bird Flu case, 8th death

Cambodia reported on Tuesday that a 35-year-old man died of Avian Influenza H5N1, bringing the death toll to eight and the number of cases to nine in 2013, health officials and victim's family said Tuesday. 'He died of the bird flu virus last night after a four-day medical treatment at the Calmete Hospital in Phnom Penh,' Suon Sokhy, younger sister of the victim, told Xinhua over telephone. She said that her brother became sick after he took a dead duck to cook and ate. 'Doctor told me that he died of bird flu,' she said. Sonny Krishnan, communications officer with the World Health Organization (WHO) in Cambodia, confirmed the death on Tuesday. Meanwhile, he appealed to people to be high vigilant over the virus, saying that home slaughtering and preparation of sick or dead poultry for food is hazardous. 'This practice must be stopped. The greatest risk of exposure to the virus is through the handling and slaughter of live infected poultry,' he said. He added that parents and guardians should keep their children away from poultry - do not allow them to touch feathers and do not keep poultry in their house. 'Parents and guardians must also make sure children wash their hands with soap and water after any contact with poultry,' he said. 'If they have fast or difficult breathing, they should seek medical attention at the nearest health facility.' Cambodia's Health Minister Mam Bunheng appealed to people to be more careful about the outbreaks of bird flu virus. 'I'd like to urge people not to eat ill or dead poultry,' he told reporters on the sidelines of a health meeting on Tuesday. 'Poultry must be cooked well. Properly cooked poultry meat is therefore safe to consume.' 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 30 human cases of the virus, killing 27 people, Xinhua reported.