A 5-year-old boy has tested positive for avian influenza, making the toddler the first reported case this year, the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization said yesterday.

The boy, from Kampong Thom province’s Stung Sen district, was confirmed positive for the H5N1 virus on Sunday, the statement said.

The boy is in a stable condition after being admitted to the Jayavarman VII Hospital in Siem Reap town.

A government investigation into the case revealed that 200 chickens had mysteriously died in the boy’s village in mid-January, after which his parents had prepared the expired birds to eat.

“I urge parents and guardians to keep children away from sick or dead poultry and prevent them from playing with chickens or ducks,” Minister of Health Mam Bunheng said in the statement.

At least 22 cases of bird flu were recorded in Cambodia last year, according to the Ministry of Health.