Bird flu kills 11-year-old girl in Cambodia, officials say

The girl, from the rural south-eastern province of Prey Veng, became ill on February 16 and was sent to be treated at a hospital in the capital Phnom Penh

Cambodian villagers hold posters to spread awareness of H5N1 virus threats in Prey Veng eastern province (Cambodia Ministry of Health via AP)

An 11-year-old girl in Cambodia has died from bird flu in the country’s first known human H5N1 infection since 2014, health officials said.

Bird flu, also known as avian influenza, normally spreads in poultry and was not deemed a threat to people until a 1997 outbreak among visitors to live poultry markets in Hong Kong.