New avian flu outbreak found in Phnom Penh

Yesenia Amaro and Kuoch Masy | Publication date 15 January 2018 | 06:59 ICT

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Health Ministry officials educate staff on an H5N1 outbreak in Kampong Cham in December. Another outbreak was discovered in Phnom Penh last week. Photo supplied

Officials have urged the public to take precautionary measures to prevent the further spread of the H5N1 virus, or avian flu, following a new outbreak in the capital’s Sen Sok district, which prompted officials to cull more than 100 chickens.

Sen Sovann, deputy secretary-general at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, yesterday said the virus had been detected in a small sample of chickens on Tuesday in Toek Thla commune, resulting in the culling of 135 chickens on Friday.

“We applied veterinary measures early,” he said, adding that the chickens belonged to a local family.

The neighbouring area was disinfected just in case the virus had spread, he said. The case in Sen Sok district follows outbreaks in Kampong Cham and Prey Veng provinces.

Sovann said there have not been any confirmed human cases of the virus. One suspected case in Kampong Cham tested negative.

Ly Sovann, spokesman for the Ministry of Health and director of the ministry’s Department of Communicable Diseases, declined to answer questions, but last week in a statement, he urged people to be careful about the transmission of the virus. In the statement, he urged people not to eat sick poultry, and asked the public to report any suspected cases immediately.

In 2014, there were four human deaths as a result of the virus and 14 in 2013.