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PHNOM PENH, Cambodia >> Health officials say a Cambodian mother and her 11-month-old son died from bird flu after preparing and eating meat contaminated by the deadly H5N1 virus.
Cambodia’s Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization issued a statement late Wednesday saying the 19-year-old mother died Feb. 12 and her son on Feb. 17. They got sick two days after handling and eating infected poultry during a visit with relatives in eastern Prey Veng province.
Cooked meat is safe to eat, but undercooked or raw poultry can infect humans if ingested. Slaughtering or preparing sick or dead birds can also cause infection.
The cases follow the death of a 5-year-old girl earlier this month in the capital, Phnom Penh, which has also been linked to contact with sick poultry.
