Background: Tracking the emergence, introduction and spread of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern are essential for informing public health strategies. In 2021, Cambodia faced two major epidemic waves of SARS-CoV-2 triggered by the successive rise of the Alpha and Delta variants.
Methods: Phylodynamic analysis of 1,163 complete SARS-CoV-2 genomes from Cambodia, along with global sequences, were conducted between February and September 2021 to infer viral introductions, molecular epidemiology and population dynamics.
The first case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Cambodia was confirmed on 27 January 2020 in a traveller from Wuhan. Cambodia subsequently implemented strict travel restrictions, and although intermittent cases were reported during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, no apparent widespread community transmission was detected. Investigating the routes of severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) introduction into the country was critical for evaluating the implementation of public health interventions and assessing the effectiveness of social control measures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRapid production and publication of pathogen genome sequences during emerging disease outbreaks provide crucial public health information. In resource-limited settings, especially near an outbreak epicenter, conventional deep sequencing or bioinformatics are often challenging. Here we successfully used metagenomic next generation sequencing on an iSeq100 Illumina platform paired with an open-source bioinformatics pipeline to quickly characterize Cambodia's first case of COVID-2019.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOn June 4, 2016, the Prey Veng Provincial Health Department reported a total of 107 patients with influenza-like illness (ILI) from Chakhlanh village to the Cambodian Ministry of Health. To confirm the outbreak and evaluate its clinical and epidemiological characteristics, the investigation team visited the village and reviewed the case-based surveillance (CBS) data on severe respiratory infection (SRI) and patients' records in health facilities. The team interviewed all households in the village from May 1 to June 5, 2016 and obtained the following data: age, medical history, date of onset, treatment, symptoms, and history of contact with patients or dead poultry.
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