Choeun Sokny, mother of the victim (Photo RFA)
House of the victim parents (Photo RFA)25 March 2006
By Keo Pech Metta
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by KI-Media
Veterinarian experts and officials from the Pasteur Institute, accompanied by government health officials performed a survey on the evolution of the spread of bird flu disease in Tuol Prich village, Moha Russey commune, Kong Pisey district, Kampong Speu province, following the death of a young girl in the village after contracting bird flu last week.
RFA reporters also went to the village. In their follow up, the experts visited houses where ducks were raised, they collected blood samples from the ducks for testing, and they spread lime around the house of the victim to kill the germs.
During the experts visit, all Tuol Prich villagers were attracted by the activities in their village because of the recent death of the young girl in their village, death blamed on bird flu (H5N1) contagion which they could not believe it could happen in their village.
The parents of the young victim were most interested in the activities in the village.
Choeun Sokny, the mother of the young victim, provided details on the cause of the death of her daughter. The 4-year-old victim, Mon Puthy, is her first child and she had fever in the past, then, her father would give her some shots to reduce the fever. However, in the last instance, two days after her shot, she did not recover, her mother then took her to see a doctor in Tram Khnar. Two days later, she was still sick, she then took her child to a hospital in Phnom Penh.
Choeun Sokny said: “At the beginning of the fever, we gave her shots ourselves, when it did not go away, we took her to a hospital in Tram Khnar, the doctor said that she had throat and intestinal inflammations. They gave her medicine to take. After one day, it did not go away, the doctor still say that she had throat inflammation … so we took her to Phnom Penh, after one day and one night, she passed away. From the day she was sick to her death, it was almost a week.”
Choeun Uok, the father of the little girl, told RFA that when her child has fever, he used to take care of her himself by giving her medicine based on his little knowledge, but this time, when he gave her a medicine shot and it did not help her, he was worried but he did not think it was anything related to bird flu because he never encountered it before.
Choeun Uok said: “I heard about it [bird flu] happening in other country, other province, in my area, we never heard of it, because of that, we did not pay attention to it because it never occurs here. But when it affected my child, I am very surpriced. Before, when I gave her a shot, it just went away for good … I did not pay attention on bird flu.”
Tith Yun, the great grandfather of the little girl, told RFA that about two weeks ago, his great granddaughter started getting sick after she played with ducks at his home. Not only that, she also ate meat from a dead chicken that her mother cooked. Because they never heard of bird flu contagion, he did not pay attention to it, and did not tell the parents about this issue.
Tith Yun said: “I did not pay attention that this disease can be so contagious like this, in the past nothing ever happened …”
Meas Huok, the Tuol Prich village chief, was helping catch ducks so the experts can collect a sample of their blood. He said that as a village chief, he regrets the death of the little girl which was blamed on bird flu. He said that the village authorities have informed people also, especially during religious festivals. It’s not like they were not informed, but because of the villagers’ habit of eating meat from dead ducks, and nothing ever happened to them, they kept on eating that kind of meat.
He said that no matter what, from now on, he believes the villagers will pay more attention after the death from bird flu disease occurred in the village.
Meas Huok said: “From now on, the plan is not to eat dead chicken or duck meat, they should be burnt and discarded. It does not matter if it is day or night, if a strange sickness occurs, a report must be filed with me urgently so that I can report to Kantha Bopha hospital [in Phnom Penh] and the hospital left me their phone number to call already.”
Dr. Ly Sovann, the vice-president of the contagious disease department of the ministry of health, said that experts from the ministry have collected blood samples for testing in Phnom Penh from 42 of the Tuol Prich villagers who came into contact with the little girl, as well as from 7 people who live nearby the victim’s home because they are concerned that they have contracted the disease also, and on 25 March, experts from the ministry of health will conduct an education program on bird flu in the area so that the population pay more attention to the contagion of this virulent disease.
In Cambodia, since the discover of bird flu disease until now, five people fell victim to this disease: 4 from Kampot province, and the little girl who was recently another victim in Tuol Prich village.
Furthermore, two other bird flu cases have been discovered in Kampong Siem and Cheung Prey districts, Kampong Cham province at the beginning of 2006, however, it did not spread to human in these two areas.
RFA reporters also went to the village. In their follow up, the experts visited houses where ducks were raised, they collected blood samples from the ducks for testing, and they spread lime around the house of the victim to kill the germs.
During the experts visit, all Tuol Prich villagers were attracted by the activities in their village because of the recent death of the young girl in their village, death blamed on bird flu (H5N1) contagion which they could not believe it could happen in their village.
The parents of the young victim were most interested in the activities in the village.
Choeun Sokny, the mother of the young victim, provided details on the cause of the death of her daughter. The 4-year-old victim, Mon Puthy, is her first child and she had fever in the past, then, her father would give her some shots to reduce the fever. However, in the last instance, two days after her shot, she did not recover, her mother then took her to see a doctor in Tram Khnar. Two days later, she was still sick, she then took her child to a hospital in Phnom Penh.
Choeun Sokny said: “At the beginning of the fever, we gave her shots ourselves, when it did not go away, we took her to a hospital in Tram Khnar, the doctor said that she had throat and intestinal inflammations. They gave her medicine to take. After one day, it did not go away, the doctor still say that she had throat inflammation … so we took her to Phnom Penh, after one day and one night, she passed away. From the day she was sick to her death, it was almost a week.”
Choeun Uok, the father of the little girl, told RFA that when her child has fever, he used to take care of her himself by giving her medicine based on his little knowledge, but this time, when he gave her a medicine shot and it did not help her, he was worried but he did not think it was anything related to bird flu because he never encountered it before.
Choeun Uok said: “I heard about it [bird flu] happening in other country, other province, in my area, we never heard of it, because of that, we did not pay attention to it because it never occurs here. But when it affected my child, I am very surpriced. Before, when I gave her a shot, it just went away for good … I did not pay attention on bird flu.”
Tith Yun, the great grandfather of the little girl, told RFA that about two weeks ago, his great granddaughter started getting sick after she played with ducks at his home. Not only that, she also ate meat from a dead chicken that her mother cooked. Because they never heard of bird flu contagion, he did not pay attention to it, and did not tell the parents about this issue.
Tith Yun said: “I did not pay attention that this disease can be so contagious like this, in the past nothing ever happened …”
Meas Huok, the Tuol Prich village chief, was helping catch ducks so the experts can collect a sample of their blood. He said that as a village chief, he regrets the death of the little girl which was blamed on bird flu. He said that the village authorities have informed people also, especially during religious festivals. It’s not like they were not informed, but because of the villagers’ habit of eating meat from dead ducks, and nothing ever happened to them, they kept on eating that kind of meat.
He said that no matter what, from now on, he believes the villagers will pay more attention after the death from bird flu disease occurred in the village.
Meas Huok said: “From now on, the plan is not to eat dead chicken or duck meat, they should be burnt and discarded. It does not matter if it is day or night, if a strange sickness occurs, a report must be filed with me urgently so that I can report to Kantha Bopha hospital [in Phnom Penh] and the hospital left me their phone number to call already.”
Dr. Ly Sovann, the vice-president of the contagious disease department of the ministry of health, said that experts from the ministry have collected blood samples for testing in Phnom Penh from 42 of the Tuol Prich villagers who came into contact with the little girl, as well as from 7 people who live nearby the victim’s home because they are concerned that they have contracted the disease also, and on 25 March, experts from the ministry of health will conduct an education program on bird flu in the area so that the population pay more attention to the contagion of this virulent disease.
In Cambodia, since the discover of bird flu disease until now, five people fell victim to this disease: 4 from Kampot province, and the little girl who was recently another victim in Tuol Prich village.
Furthermore, two other bird flu cases have been discovered in Kampong Siem and Cheung Prey districts, Kampong Cham province at the beginning of 2006, however, it did not spread to human in these two areas.
No comments:
Post a Comment