Sunday 15/February/2026 – 03:26 PM
Cambodia’s Ministry of Health announced that a 30-year-old man from Kampot Province in the country’s southwest has tested positive for the H5N1 human bird influenza virus, the first confirmed case this year, according to local media.
The first human infection with avian influenza virus
The Ministry confirmed in its statement: The man was suffering from symptoms of fever, cough, and abdominal pain, and thanks to the intensive care provided by a team of doctors, the patient recovered and returned home on February 14.
Spread of bird influenza virus
The statement stated that investigations revealed that the dead chicken in the patient’s home was cooked 3 days before he became ill, and the health authorities are investigating the source of infection and examining suspected cases or contacts to prevent the spread of the disease in the community.
Tamiflu oseltamivir, an antiviral drug, was distributed to people who had direct contact with the man. The H5N1 influenza virus usually spreads among sick poultry, but it can sometimes infect humans. Symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, and acute respiratory illness.
In a related context, the Hong Kong Health Protection Center announced two new human cases infected with the H9N2 avian influenza virus from mainland China, with symptoms appearing in late December 2025 and mid-January 2026.
These cases in Hubei, Guangxi and Jiangsu provinces coincided with the reporting of an additional human infection with avian influenza A(H10N3) in a 34-year-old man from Guangdong Province, whose symptoms also began on December 29, 2025. This is the seventh known human case of H10N3 virus worldwide.
