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Telegraph
12 hours ago
- Health
- Telegraph
Cambodia reports three new bird flu cases as human H5N1 infections spike
Cambodia has reported three new bird flu cases in as many days, amid a spike in infections among humans in June. On Tuesday, the Ministry of Health said a 36-year-old woman in Siem Reap province – a region in the country's northeast, which is home to the Unesco World Heritage site Angkor Wat – is in intensive care after contracting H5N1. The case is the latest in a string of new infections in the last 10 days. On Saturday, the government said that a woman and her 16-year-old son were being treated with the antiviral tamiflu after testing positive for H5N1 in a contact tracing exercise. A week prior, their 41-year-old neighbour was in a critical condition after contracting the disease. The latest case, the 36-year-old, lived in a village less than two miles away from this cluster of three patients. But all four had clear links to sick or dead birds, according to those investigating the incidents. A fifth case, a 52-year-old man, was announced dead at the start of last week in Svay Rieng province – a region some 250 miles away, close to Vietnam. 'Up until now, we do not have signs of human-to-human transmission,' Dr Ly Sovann, the Ministry of Health's director of communicable disease control, told the Telegraph. 'All of the cases are linked with contact with sick or dead poultry, in backyard poultry or in the community.' He added that the close proximity of the four most recent cases instead suggests 'the virus has spread into the poultry in these villages'. In Cambodia, it is common for households to keep small flocks of chickens and ducks which roam around their homes, and live bird markets are still an important cornerstone of the food system. While culturally and economically critical, this means people live and work in the vicinity of poultry – creating a constant spillover risk. But although bird flu is now considered entrenched in poultry in the southeast Asian country, virologists and epidemiologists are racing to understand why there has been a recent spike in spillovers to humans. After an eight year lull, bird flu cases jumped in people in 2023 and 2024. So far this year there have been 11 infections and six deaths – including seven cases detected in June alone. 'As for why we're seeing this uptick now – the honest answer is: we don't fully know yet,' said Dr Erik Karlsson, head of the virology unit and director of the World Health Organization's H5 Reference Laboratory at Institut Pasteur du Cambodge. 'It could be due to increased virus circulation in birds, but it could also reflect deeper socio-economic pressures, climate factors affecting bird movement or immunity, improved surveillance and diagnostics, or some complex combination of all of the above. 'Possibly even [there's] a butterfly effect – a series of small shifts aligning to create a larger impact. We're investigating a range of possible drivers across the animal, human, and environmental interface,' he told the Telegraph. Like Dr Sovann, he stressed that although every case is a concern, there are currently no signs that the H5N1 virus circulating in the country's birds has evolved to spread between people. 'Our genetic sequencing shows consistency with poultry-derived viruses, with no markers suggesting adaptation for onward human spread,' he said. He added that while four of the cases in June were found in Siem Reap, the other three were dotted across the small nation, which is home to roughly 17 million people. '[This] again points toward multiple, independent spillover events rather than any linked chain of transmission.' Dr Sovann said the Ministry of Health is concerned and will remain vigilant, because the 'positive rate is high in the wild birds', and that they're spreading the virus to backyard poultry. But he added that the country has boosted its surveillance system, procured extra lab supplies and bird flu medicines, and strengthened capacity in private and public hospitals. 'We also encourage clinicians to send more samples, and we work together with our local researchers and hospitals to ensure we can collect all the information,' Dr Sovann said. He also noted that there is significant 'cross border' trade of poultry with neighbouring countries. While the virus has been detected in birds across southeast Asia, only Cambodia and Vietnam have recently reported cases in people. 'I will say that we have a good surveillance system,' said Dr Sovann. 'That's why we can detect more and more cases.' Protect yourself and your family by learning more about Global Health Security
Japan Times
24-06-2025
- Japan Times
Border confusion as Thailand shuts land crossings with Cambodia
Dozens of tourists and workers, some carrying children, were left stranded on Tuesday at Thailand's main land crossing with Cambodia, after the army stopped almost all border traffic in an escalating territorial dispute. Thailand has closed crossing points in in all seven border provinces to everyone except students and those seeking medical treatment, after a long-running row erupted into military clashes last month in which a Cambodian soldier was killed. There was confusion at the Ban Khlong Luek checkpoint in Sa Kaeo province — the main crossing for people traveling overland to Cambodia's Siem Reap, where the Angkor Wat complex is located. Around 50 Cambodian workers, mostly vendors who regularly cross into Thailand for trade, found themselves stuck at the checkpoint, unable to return home.
BBC News
24-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Thailand bans tourists from going to Cambodia
Thailand has imposed restrictions on all travellers heading into Cambodia, as the two countries remain locked in a bitter border dispute. The ban applies to any vehicle or person trying to cross into Cambodia from checkpoints across several Thai provinces, as well as foreign tourists flying into Siem Reap. The military said in a statement on Monday that the new restrictions "matched the current security situation".Bilateral relations between the two countries are at their worst in more than a decade, after armed clashes along the border in May left one Cambodian soldier dead. Since then, the two countries have slapped punitive measures on each other. Cambodia has banned imports from Thailand, ranging from fruit and vegetables to electricity and internet, as well as Thai dramas and to the latest travel ban may be granted on humanitarian grounds - such as for students or medical patients - at the discretion of officials at the checkpoints, Thai authorities restrictions would also help to counter illegal scam operations in Cambodia, according to the Monday, Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra vowed to crack down on scam operations in Cambodia, with measures including suspending internet services used by Cambodian security added that foreign tourists would also be banned from taking flights from Thailand to the popular Cambodian resort town of Siem previously implemented similar measures on neighbouring Myanmar, which is also home to thriving scam networks that have entrapped thousands of dispute between Thailand and Cambodia has plunged Paetongtarn Shinawatra's government into the throes of a political crisis, after a leaked phone call between her and Cambodia's strongman ex-leader Hun the phone call, Paetongtarn was heard calling him "uncle" and telling him to ignore a Thai military commander who "just wanted to look cool".Paetongtarn defended her demeanour as a "negotiation technique", but critics said she undermined Thailand's politically influential army. A key coalition partner of her Pheu Thai party has since left the between the two countries date back more than a century, when the borders were drawn after the French occupation of Cambodia.
Associated Press
23-06-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Thailand announces measures to crack down on Cambodia-based cybercrime as border tensions soar
BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand's Prime Minister announced heightened measures to crack down on cybercrime that target neighboring Cambodia, including barring travel by casino tourists and cutting internet services to Cambodian military and security agencies. Relations between the countries have deteriorated following an armed confrontation May 28 in which one Cambodian soldier was killed in a relatively small, contested territory. Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said Monday that officials will tighten border restrictions by stopping cars and individuals attempting to cross into Cambodia with exceptions for students, medical patients or others who need to purchase essential goods. Thailand will block tourists who intend to visit Cambodia's casinos and impose stricter screening measures on air passengers who wish to fly to Siem Reap, Cambodia, to gamble. She did not elaborate on how authorities will separate casino tourists from people visiting the country for other types of tourism. Cambodia has blocked internet services, electricity and fuel supplies from Thailand in response to the border dispute, which could have economic implications for both nations. The average monthly imports of gasoline and other fuel to Cambodia from Thailand is 85,426 metric tons (94,166 tons), which is 30% of all national imports. The average monthly liquid natural gas import from Thailand is 1,848 metric tons (2,037 tons), which is 4% of the national total, according to the Cambodian Ministry of Commerce. An April U.N. report says transnational organized crime groups in East and Southeast Asia are spreading lucrative scam operations across the globe. Scam centers bilking victims out of billions of dollars through false romantic ploys, bogus investment pitches and illegal gambling schemes are now being reported in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The report mentions Cambodia as one of the world's major cybercrime hubs. Paetongtarn said Thailand will consider blocking exports of goods that could facilitate scam operations in Cambodia and will coordinate with other countries and international agencies for operations to crack down on cybercrime based in Southeast Asia. Cambodian and Thai authorities have engaged in saber-rattling since the deadly clash in May. While the two countries said afterwards they have agreed to de-escalate the situation, they continue to implement or threaten measures short of armed force, keeping tensions high. Paetongtarn has been attacked over her perceived soft stance toward Cambodia, especially by right-wing nationalists who are longtime foes of her father, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. A phone call leaked last week between Paetongtarn and Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen, the former prime minister who ruled over four decades, sparked outrage and calls for Paetongtarn's resignation. Critics said she tried to appease Hun Sen, a longtime friend of her father, and made Thailand look weak by calling a Thai army commander in charge of the disputed border area as 'an opponent.' Several nationalist activist groups have planned a rally this week to demand Paetongtarn's resignation. ___ Sopheng Cheang in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, contributed to this report.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Yahoo
Three killed in lightning strike at Cambodia's Angkor Wat temple
Three people have been killed and several others were injured when they were struck by lightning while visiting Cambodia's famous Angkor Wat temple complex. They had been seeking shelter around the main temple of the Unesco site when the lightning struck late on Friday afternoon. Video posted on social media showed two ambulances arriving in the aftermath and onlookers and site officials carrying out some injured people and helping others out on foot. Other images showed multiple people being treated in hospital. The day after the incident, Cambodia's minister of tourism Hout Hak issued a statement telling people to take down online posts about it, saying the spreading of 'negative information' could harm the country's tourism sector. Authorities have released no information about the incident, but an official confirmed to The Associated Press that three people – all Cambodian – were killed in the lightning strike. The Cambodian Red Cross also posted an update saying it had delivered care packages to the families of two of the victims, a 34-year-old man and a 52-year-old woman. A spokesman for the Angkor Wat site did not respond to requests for comment, nor did a regional health official. Cambodia's government under Prime Minister Hun Manet keeps a tight grip on information, and has been accused by rights groups of using the court system to prosecute critics and political opponents. Hun Manet in 2023 succeeded his father, Hun Sen, who was widely criticised for the suppression of freedom of speech during his nearly four decades of autocratic rule. Angkor Wat is Cambodia's best-known tourist attraction, attracting some 2.5 million visitors annually, and is even featured on the country's flag. Unesco calls the site, which sprawls across some 155 square miles and contains the ruins of Khmer Empire capitals from the 9th to the 15th centuries, one of the most important archaeological sites in southeast Asia. Cambodia has been actively developing the area to attract more visitors, including opening a new 1.1 billion dollar (£827 million) Chinese-funded airport in nearby Siem Reap. Its move to relocate some 10,000 families squatting in the Angkor Wat area to a new settlement has drawn widespread criticism from human rights groups, however, and Unesco itself has expressed concern. Cambodian authorities have said the families were being voluntarily relocated, but Amnesty International and others have questioned how voluntary the relocations actually have been.
