Still no A/H1N1 flu cases confirmed in Cambodia: ministry

PHNOM PENH, Jun 12, 2009 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia is still safe from the epidemic of A/H1N1 flu disease, said a joint press release issued here on Friday.

"As of June 12, 2009, no cases of Influenza A/H1N1 have been confirmed in Cambodia," said the press release jointly issued by the Cambodian Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO).

With the virus continuing to spread internationally, the Ministry of Health "continues to strengthen the implementation of the national pandemic response plan and, supported by WHO, has been actively preparing management guidelines for Ministry of Health staff, " it added.

Sok Touch, director of the communicable disease control department of Ministry of Health told Xinhua Thursday that the Cambodian government are still vigilant and that precaution measures have been and being taken at all points of entries into Cambodia, especially, at the international airports such as Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.

Moreover, the public will be kept informed of developments via the ministry's website and regular statements made to the press, it said.

While Cambodia announced that it is safe from the influenza cases, the flu virus has already affected 74 countries worldwide and the number of reported A/H1N1 infection has reached to 28,774, including 144 deaths, according to WHO.

Three Test Negative for H1N1 Virus

By Chiep Mony, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
25 May 2009

Three US-Cambodians have tested negative for the H1N1 virus, after they shared an international flight where one passenger was found to have the illness, health officials said Monday.

Sok Touch, director of Health Ministry’s communicable disease control department, said Chay Cerone, 62, was found in Battambang province, while Pann Thy, 46, and Pann Saroun, 26, were found in Kampot province.

All three tested negative for the virus, which appeared in Mexico last month and has sparked concerns of a pandemic. They were tested by the Pasteur Institute in Phnom Penh.

Authorities began searching for the three visitors when South Korea issued an alert saying that one passenger on a May 17 flight from Seattle to Incheon had tested positive for the illness.

Cambodia has no known cases of the H1N1 flu, but officials say they remain vigilant.

Chhour Kimny, chief of immigration police at Phnom Penh International Airport, said his personnel continue to watch for travelers with flu-like symptoms.

Between 1,300 and 1,500 passengers have been investigated through temperature scanners, which were installed at both international airports a few days after the first reported outbreak of the H1N1 flue was reported from Mexico.

The World Health Organization says 43 countries have officially reported more than 12,000 cases of infection, which has caused 86 deaths worldwide.

Cambodia, WHO declear no confirmed A/H1N1 virus in Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, May 22 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO) here on Friday issued a joint statement claiming there is no confirmed cases of Influenza A/H1N1in Cambodia.

"The ministry of Health would like to advise that as of May 22 2009, no cases of Influenza A/H1N1 virus have been confirmed in the country," the statement said.

Cambodian Health Ministry received an urgent letter Wednesday from South Korean Embassy warning that three Cambodian- Americans were on the same flight from the United States to South Korea with a passenger who was later confirmed to have Influenza A/H1N1. The three individuals subsequently flew on a separate flight to Phnom Penh on Sunday.

At the time of their arrival to Cambodia, the three passengers did not display influenza symptoms, according to the statement. The ministry officials are now seeking to locate these passengers to assess their well-being and to offer them testing.

"The Ministry of Health is working closely with all relevant authorities to continue to monitor the situation closely," it added.

The ministry also strongly advised people who has traveled from an affected area in the past seven days and has developed fever ...to contact with the ministry.

A lot of swines leading the country, but no flu yet

‘Don’t Panic’ Over Swine Flu: Hun Sen

By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
29 April 2009

Prime Minister Hun Sen made a public call for calm over swine flu on Wednesday, but he encouraged families to outfit themselves with face masks, as more cases were reported around the globe.

“I call on the Cambodian population, first of all, don’t panic,” Hun Sen said at Phnom Penh’s National Institute of Education, where he was delivering certificates to teachers. “Secondly, people should protect themselves; where we suspect the epidemic, we should be careful. If possible, all families, all people, should protect themselves with masks.”

“The Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Health have not yet made a declaration about this, but we should be prepared for it,” Hun Sen said.

Swine flu has killed 159 people so far, spreading from Mexico to other nations around the world and sparking worries of a pandemic.

The influenza comes from the H1N1 virus, which is easily spread from person to person. In that way, it differs from avian influenza’s H5N1 virus, which has killed 252 people, including seven Cambodians, since 2005.

“Swine flu is a new epidemic, and a quick epidemic, if we compare it to SARS or bird flu,” Hun Sen said, referring to severe acute respiratory syndrome, which spread across the globe in 2003, killing 774 people.

While warning Cambodians to take measures to protect themselves, the prime minister encouraged people to continue eating pork and said the export of the product would not be restricted.

Health officials said Cambodia is prepared to mitigate some of its effects if the disease reaches Cambodia.

“Until now, we have not yet found out about the virus of swine flu,” Ly Sovann, deputy director of the department of communicable disease control at the Ministry of Health, told VOA Khmer.

There is so far no vaccine against the virus, he said, “but we have a pill, Tamiflu, that we have stored at the provincial health offices and the national health stockpiles. If swine flu erupts in Cambodia, we can prevent it.”

Meanwhile, Cambodia installed thermal scanners in its two international airports, in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, where officials will examine and possibly hospitalize individuals with signs of fever.

“If we suspect them of having swine flu, we should detain them and take them to be checked at the hospital,” Hun Sen said Wednesday.

No swine flu in Cambodia ... in spite of the large number of powerful and rich land-grabber swines

Gov't, WHO confirms no swine flu case in Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, April 28 (Xinhua) -- There have been no reports of swine influenza cases, both pig and human, so far in Cambodia, said an official statement received here on Tuesday.

"As suggested by the World Health Organization (WHO), the (Cambodian) Ministry of Health (MoH) has issued temporary advice to enhance surveillance," said the joint statement from MoH and WHO.

"Medical clinics are asked to immediately report any unusual influenza like illness cases to MoH. WHO Western Pacific Regional Office is closely monitoring the situation in the region and has activated its outbreak and emergency management protocols," it said.

In addition, "Cambodia has increased its surveillance for unusual respiratory illness in hospitals, health centers and airport," it said.

"While there is no vaccine against this type of influenza, there are a range of possible treatments although it is not yet clear which will be most appropriate," it said.

"Cambodia has prepared stockpiles of various resources, including medication to treat viral illness, and has access to additional regional supplies if required," it added.

Meanwhile, according to Sok Touch, director of the Anti-communicable Disease Department of MoH, scanners will be equipped on Tuesday at the Phnom Penh and the Siem Reap international airports to check travelers' body temperature against possible entry of swine flu.

MoH will use the existing equipment and system for combating bird flu to monitor pig flu, he said.

The ministry will cooperate with the World Health Organization to take actions on the pig-farming industry if necessary, but the very next step will focus on travelers from the infected areas, he added.