Recombinomics Commentary: H5N1 Case Confirmed Near Phnom Pehn Cambodia

Commentary

H5N1 Case Confirmed Near Phnom Pehn Cambodia
Recombinomics Commentary 12:11
December 12, 2008

The patient became ill with fever, cough, muscle ache and sore throat on 28th November and sought medical attention at local health centres originally on 30th November and again on 2nd December. The patient was identified during surveillance for acute fever illness, a research study conducted in the province and confirmatory testing was done by the National Influenza Centre in Phnom Penh on 11th December.

The patient is currently being treated in Calmette hospital, Phnom Penh.

The above comments describe a confirmed H5N1 case (19M) in Cambodia near Phnom Pehn. Although all prior cases in Cambodia have been fatal, the last confirmed case was in May, 2007, so the relationship of that H5N1 to the current outbreak is unclear, Cambodia has not reported H5N1 in poultry recently.

However, there are five suspect cases in Thailand, on the border with Cambodia (see satellite map). This cluster is about 200 miles north of the confirmed case. Thailand did have a poultry outbreak last month, but that outbreak was in northern Thailand and involved clade 1.
Clade 2.3 (Fujian) has been reported in the area, and that clade has been responsible for most cases in southeast Asia as well as China.

Since the above patient developed symptoms two weeks ago, and there has been no mention of pneumonia, this may be a relatively mild case.

More information on H5N1 in birds in the region as well as the status of the cluster (one patient was from Cambodia) on the Thai/Cambodian border would be useful.
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