The World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health denied media reports issued Thursday that researchers had found a new mutant strain of the avian influenza virus in Cambodia.
“Recent reports from media mentioned that a mutated strain of bird flu has been found in samples taken in Cambodia,” the organization wrote in statement issued Friday.
“The World Health Organization would like to confirm that there is no evidence of a strain of avian influenza with significant mutations in Cambodia.”
Commenting on the erroneous news reports, WHO avian influenza expert Dr Megge Miller said that there seemed to be misunderstanding regarding information on samples of the virus found in Cambodia’s victims that have been undergoing research by the WHO and the Pasteur Institute.
“Researchers at the Pasteur Institute have detected minor genetic changes but there is no evidence of increased transmissibility. From the public health perspective these slight genetic changes have had no impact,” Miller said.
“The virus like all influenza viruses is undergoing constant change,” she said.
The WHO has warned that it is likely the bird flu virus will mutate into a highly transmissible form, resulting in a pandemic that could kill millions of people worldwide.
Four deaths in Cambodia from the H5N1 bird flu virus have been confirmed, all occurring in 2005.
Miller said a recently published research paper indicates that as of April 2005, no distinct patterns have emerged that differentiate the avian viruses found in Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand.
