Twenty-something dies of avian influenza infection in Cambodia

A man in his 20s has died from a highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) infection in Cambodia, Xinhua and other foreign media reported.

Cambodian health officials said a 28-year-old man died of avian influenza on the 11th local time in Kampong Cham province in southeastern Cambodia.

The local health ministry said, "The test showed that the deceased was positive for the H5N1 virus, and eventually died due to severe symptoms such as shortness of breath."

It is known that the deceased lived raising chickens and cooked and ate sick chickens.

The health ministry added that it is investigating infection routes and close contacts to prevent the spread of avian influenza in the community.

Avian influenza is generally transmitted between poultry, but cases of human infection have also been reported.

Cambodia's Ministry of Health explained that there have been 73 cases of human infection with H5N1 in Southeast Asian countries since 2003, 44 of which have died.