Cambodia's Health Ministry reported the second person infected with bird flu in the country this Friday, the father of an 11-year-old girl who died Wednesday from the disease.
The 49-year-old man tested positive in Prey Veng province, where authorities from the Health Ministry investigated the girl's death.
Authorities tested 12 people for the virus in the village of Roleang, located in the commune of Romlech, Sithor Kandal district. So far, only the father of the deceased girl has tested positive.
An emergency response team is working to find the source of transmission. Both people and animals in the village are being tested to cut off possible transmission routes.
Avian influenza has cold-like symptoms, such as cough and fever, but requires treatment because of its life-threatening nature, Dr. Quach Mengly told reporters.
The country has not detected a single case of the disease since 2014. Between 2003 and 2014, 56 were detected and there were 37 deaths.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued an alert due to an increase in outbreaks of the disease. Cases of infected mammals have been reported in different regions around the world.