Bird flu is once again making its way into headlines. Cambodia is currently tracking the H5N1 bird flu in a human girl, while China has seen an uptick in cases of the H9N2 strain of the virus.
Last week, a 3-year-old girl from Kampong Speu province was sickened. She received intensive care for her H5N1 infection. A statement from the Cambodia Ministry of Health said birds in the patient’s home and in neighboring houses had been sick and dying for roughly a week when the child became ill. Now, the CMH is tracking the disease in a 14-year-old girl. She is currently hospitalized for her infection, with no information on where she’d been infected or exposed to the virus, according to CIDRAP, the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy.
Are we on the cusp of seeing human-to-human bird flu transmission?
Bird Flu Warning: Human Transmission Could Be Next
Also in this week’s CHP (Center for Health Protection) update, officials note four H9N2 cases in mainland China that were retrospectively recorded. The cases include a person in Guangdong province who had an illness onset in February 2025. In that same month, two ill people in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous region were also reported, as was one case-patient in the Tianjin municipality.
In United States avian flu news, Idaho has reported a new backyard poultry H5N1 outbreak in 90 birds in Canyon County, according to the latest update from the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). In the past 30 days, APHIS said there have been 53 confirmed flocks with highly pathogenic avian influenza in commercial and backyard flocks in the United States, with 6.37 million birds affected during that period.
17 People In Canada Being Tested For Bird Flu
Right now, 17 people are also being tested for bird flu in Canada after presenting symptoms and possible exposure at a petting farm in Calgary. The farm is taking precautions, such as closing down while the bird flu is investigated.
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