PHNOM PENH – A 30-year-old man from Cambodia’s southwestern Kampot province has tested positive for H5N1 human avian influenza, the first case of the year, the Ministry of Health said in a statement on Saturday.

According to the statement, the man had symptoms including fever, cough, and abdominal pain. “After intensive treatment by a team of doctors, the patient recovered and was sent home on February 14.”

The victim lives in Mean Rith village in Tuek Chow district.

The statement said an investigation revealed that there was a dead chicken in the patient’s home, and that the dead chicken had been cooked three days before the onset of the illness.

Health authorities are investigating the source of the infection and testing people who came into contact with the suspected case or victim to prevent further spread in the community.

The antiviral drug Tamiflu (oseltamivir), which is meant to prevent the spread of bird flu, was also distributed to people who had direct contact with the unfortunate man, the statement said.

H5N1 influenza is usually transmitted between sick poultry, but it can also be transmitted from poultry to humans, and symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, and severe respiratory illness.