The Cambodia Ministry of Health reported Saturday on a case of H5N1 avian influenza in a 22-year-old man from Kien Khleang Village, Chroy Changvar Sangkat, Chroy Changvar District, Phnom Penh.
Despite the care and rescue efforts of the medical team, the patient died on November 15, 2025 at 9:41 am due to serious conditions including fever, cough, shortness of breath, and difficulty breathing.
The emergency response teams of the national and sub-national ministries of health have been collaborating with the provincial agriculture departments and local authorities at all levels to actively investigate the outbreak of bird flu and respond according to technical methods and protocols, find sources of transmission in both animals and humans, and search for suspected cases and contacts to prevent further transmission in the community, as well as distribute Tamiflu to close contacts and conduct health education campaigns among residents in the affected villages.
The Ministry of Health would like to remind all citizens to always pay attention to and be vigilant about bird flu because H5N1 bird flu continues to threaten the health of our citizens. We would also like to inform you that if you have a fever, cough, sputum discharge, or difficulty breathing and have a history of contact with sick or dead chickens or ducks within 14 days before the start of the symptoms, do not go to gatherings or crowded places and seek consultation and treatment at the nearest health center or hospital immediately. Avoid delaying this, which puts you at high risk of eventual death.
This is the 18th human H5N1 avian influenza case in Cambodia in 2025.
According to the World Health Organization, H5N1 is one of several influenza viruses that causes a highly infectious respiratory disease in birds called avian influenza (or “bird flu”). Infections in mammals, including humans, have also been documented.
H5N1 influenza virus infection can cause a range of diseases in humans, from mild to severe and in some cases, it can even be fatal. Symptoms reported have primarily been respiratory, but conjunctivitis and other non-respiratory symptoms have also been reported. There have also been a few detections of A(H5N1) virus in persons who were exposed to infected animals or their environments but who did not show any symptoms.
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Almost all cases of H5N1 virus infection in people have been associated with close contact with infected live or dead birds, or H5N1-contaminated environments, for example live bird markets. There have been some instances of spread from infected mammals to humans as well. While there may have been some cases that were not detected, the virus does not seem to easily infect humans or spread from person to person, based on the current knowledge and understanding.
Since 2003, about 900 human cases have been reported globally, with approximately half the cases being fatal.
