Cambodia has confirmed its fourth human case of H5N1 avian influenza this year, with a 66-year-old woman hospitalized in intensive care after contracting the virus, according to the National Institute of Public Health.

The patient is from Trapaing Thkov village in Svay Rieng Province, a region near the Vietnam border. Officials said the infection appears linked to exposure to infected poultry, as sick and dead chickens were discovered both in the woman’s village and at her home. Some of the birds had reportedly been used for cooking before the diagnosis.

Health authorities have launched contact tracing efforts, collecting samples from individuals who may have been exposed. Close contacts are being treated with Tamiflu as a precaution, following the country’s standard containment protocols for H5N1 outbreaks.

The latest case adds to a growing number of infections in Cambodia. In 2025, the country reported 19 human cases, including eight deaths, underscoring ongoing concerns about the virus’s presence in rural areas where human interaction with poultry is common.

A previous case reported in late March involved a young child in Oddar Meanchey Province near the Thailand border, though the current condition of that patient has not been publicly updated.

Officials have not yet confirmed the exact strain involved in the most recent infection, but preliminary assessments suggest it may be clade 2.3.2.1c, a variant known to circulate in the region.

While human-to-human transmission of H5N1 remains rare, health authorities continue to monitor the situation closely, particularly in areas where outbreaks among poultry increase the risk of spillover infections.