PHNOM PENH, Nov. 25 (Xinhuanet) -- The Cambodian Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO) jointly announced on Friday that no mutated strain of bird flu has been found in Cambodia.

    "The Ministry of Health of Cambodia and the World Health Organization would like to confirm that there is no evidence of a strain of avian influenza with significant mutations in Cambodia," a statement said.

    The statement was a response to recent media reports that a mutated strain of bird flu had been found in samples taken in Cambodia.

    Cambodia has reported four human cases of avian influenza in 2005. There have been no new cases since the last reported case in April 2005.

    The samples from the four Cambodian cases were sent to a WHO Reference Laboratory, which found that the viruses from Cambodia were similar to those detected in other countries in the region, the joint statement said.

    "The viruses from Cambodia showed some minor changes, which are part of the normal instability of the virus," it added. "However, there is no evidence of any major changes that make it easier for the virus to jump from animals to humans."

    Moreover, there is no evidence of improved efficiency of transfer from animals to humans and no evidence of efficient, sustained transmission from human to human, it stressed.

    The Cambodian Health Ministry promised that with the support from the WHO, Institute Pasteur in Cambodia and other partners, it will continue to strengthen the surveillance and response system for avian influenza.

    "The focus of the surveillance system is to detect cases as early as possible, conduct field investigations and provide laboratory diagnosis from Institute Pasteur in Cambodia within 24 hours of sample collection," it said. Enditem