On 20 August 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) was notified by the country’s International Health Regulations (IHR) National Focal Point (NFP) of a laboratory-confirmed case of human infection with avian influenza A(H5N1) virus (clade 2.3.2.1c) in a 15-year-old child in the Kingdom of Cambodia.
This case is one of 10 human cases of influenza A(H5N1) infection reported in Cambodia in 2024.
From 2003 to the present, 72 cases of human infection with influenza A(H5N1), including 43 deaths (case fatality ratio [CFR] of 59.7%), have been reported in the country.
According to the IHR (2005), a human infection caused by a novel influenza A virus subtype has the potential for high public health impact and must be notified to the WHO.
Based on currently available information, WHO assesses the risk posed by this virus to the general population as low.