Little girl becomes the 22 bird flu victim in Cambodia in 2013

A six-year-old girl from northwestern Battambang province has been confirmed of having contracted the H5N1 virus, which brings the number of the cases to 22 so far this year, a joint statement by the World Health Organization and the Cambodian Health Ministry said Friday. The little girl was confirmed positive for human H5N1 avian influenza last week after she was admitted to the Jayavarman VII Hospital in Siem Reap province with fever, cough, abdominal pain, running nose, sore throat and dyspnea. "The girl has been treated with Tamiflu and now, her condition is stable," the statement said. "Investigations in her village found that chickens and ducks had recently died in the girl's neighbors' houses and also in nearby villages," it said. "Human and animal investigations are underway to determine if the girl had direct exposure or handled the sick and dead birds." Only 11 out of the 22 cases this year survived. "Avian influenza H5N1 remains a serious threat to the health of all Cambodians and more so far children seem to be most vulnerable and are at high risk," Health Minister Mam Bunheng said. He called on parents and guardians to keep children away from sick or dead poultry and make sure children wash their hands with soap and water after any contact with poultry. H5N1 influenza is a flu that normally spreads between sick poultry, but it can sometimes spread from poultry to humans, according to the WHO. Cambodia sees the worst outbreak of the virus this year since it was first identified in 2004. To date, the country has recorded 43 human cases of the virus, and 30 people have died of it.