Is Eating Chicken Safe? Cambodian Man Dies from H5N1 Bird Flu After Eating Sick Chicken

A 28-year-old man from Kampong Cham province, Cambodia, has died after contracting the H5N1 avian flu, possibly linked to cooking and eating sick chickens raised on his family’s farm.

The Cambodian Ministry of Health confirmed that the man, who developed fever, coughing, difficulty breathing, and fatigue, tested positive for the virus on January 9 and succumbed to his illness the following day.

This marks Cambodia’s 19th confirmed human H5N1 case since early 2023, with previous fatalities including a teen girl in September 2024 and three individuals in 2023.

The latest victim was a poultry caretaker, raising concerns about the transmission risks posed by handling and consuming infected birds.

Officials are investigating the virus’s source and its genetic clade, as H5N1 continues to mutate globally. While the older 2.3.2.1c clade has been endemic in Asian poultry, the newer 2.3.4.4b clade has caused significant outbreaks in birds and sporadic infections in humans worldwide.

Cambodia’s health ministry has urged heightened vigilance, warning that H5N1 remains a significant public health threat.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has emphasized the need for improved global surveillance and data sharing to monitor and combat the virus’s spread.

The ongoing bird flu pandemic has led to mass poultry cullings and widespread outbreaks, affecting domestic and wild bird populations across Europe, the Americas, and Asia.

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