Experts have warned the bird flu victim who died last week was infected with a strain of this virus that had mutations that made it better adapted to human cells. On Thursday, health authorities warned that an 11-year-old girl from the rural southeastern province of Prey Veng in Cambodia died from bird flu, marking the country’s first fatality from the virus in years. The girl fell ill on February 16, suffering a fever of up to 39 Celsius (102 Fahrenheit), along with coughing and throat pain, and died shortly after being diagnosed on Wednesday.
Dr Erik Karlsson led the team at the Pasteur Institute of Cambodia, which decoded the genetic sequence of the virus found in the girl, and discovered that the strain was different from samples taken from birds.
He told Sky News: “There are some indications that this virus has gone through a human.
“Any time these viruses get into a new host they’ll have certain changes that allow them to replicate a little bit better or potentially bind to the cells in our respiratory tract a little bit better.”
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