Cambodia reports 8th bird flu death, 1st this year

Apr 21, 6:19 AM EDT

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) -- A 27-year-old man in eastern Cambodia has died of bird flu, the country's first fatality this year and its eighth since the virus started to sweep through Asia almost seven years ago. Cambodia's Health Ministry said in a statement issued jointly Wednesday with the World Health Organization that the man in Prey Veng province died Saturday. It was the country's 10th human case of the disease. The statement says there have been 494 laboratory-confirmed cases of the disease in 15 countries since 2003, with 293 fatalities. The Cambodian man's death was the 11th worldwide this year. The Health Ministry said it was investigating the case, and stepping up a campaign for preventative health measures.