Respiratory disease sprouts in Cambodia

The World Health Organization on Thursday alerted neighboring countries of Cambodia over an unknown deadly disease involving the respiratory and nervous systems.

WHO and the Cambodian Ministry of Health, in a joint statement, informed the international community of an ongoing probe on the nature and cause of the still unknown disease and its treatment and control.

"The MOH and WHO are currently investigating the cases and possible cause of the disease are being considered but definite identification of the cause and source may take some time," read the joint statement.

WHO and MOH said the disease first came to the knowledge of a physician of the Kantha Bopha Children's Hospital in the nation's capital of Phnom Penh.

Who said the disease starts with high fever followed by respiratory and/ or neurologic symptoms with rapid deterioration of respiratory functions.

To date, it said 61 of the 62 children admitted in hospitals have died from the disease.

The MOH said majority of the case from the southern part of Cambodia but there is no "apparent clustering" so far.

Cambodia is part of the 10 member Association of the Southeast Asian Nations, which includes the Philippines. - doh.gov.ph — ARA