Cambodia says recent bird flu cases not spread by humans

By SOPHENG CHEANG
Associated Press

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Health officials in Cambodia say recent cases of bird flu discovered in two villagers, one of them fatal, show no sign of human-to-human transmission. The finding allays fears of a public health crisis.  Bird flu normally spreads among poultry but can sometimes spread from poultry to humans. A recent wave of infections in a variety of mammals has raised concern that the virus could evolve to spread more easily between people, and potentially trigger a pandemic. An 11-year-old girl from a village in southeastern Cambodia died Feb. 22, shortly after tests confirmed she had Type A H5N1 bird flu. Her father also tested positive for the virus, but showed no strong symptoms and was released Tuesday from a hospital where he had been kept isolated.