Cambodia reports 2 new bird flu cases, 1 dies

Two more new human cases of avian influenza H5N1 have been confirmed in Cambodia, and one of them, an 11-year-old boy died on Friday in Phnom Penh's Kantha Bopha Children Hospital, a hospital representative confirmed Monday. "An 11-year-old boy from Kampong Chhnang province was admitted to the hospital last week and tested positive for H5N1 virus, " Dr. Denis Laurent, deputy director of Kantha Bopha Children Hospital, the kingdom's largest pediatric hospital, told Xinhua. "The boy's condition was very serious when he arrived at our hospital and died on Friday," he said. Another 8-year-old boy from Kandal province has also suffered from the virus last week, but his condition is stable and he is recovering, he said. The country recorded 8 cases of avian influenza H5N1 so far this year, and there children died. 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. The virus was first identified in Cambodia ten years ago. To date, the country has reported 55 human cases of the virus, and 36 people died of it.