Dr. Ly Sovann, deputy chief of the Communicable Disease Department for Cambodia's Health Ministry, addressed listeners of 'Hello VOA' Monday on the latest developments of bird flu in the country.

Earlier this month, a young girl from Kampong Cham died from the disease, raising concerns among health officials. Following her death, about 100 chickens in the area were killed.

In several calls, listeners said people seemed to know about bird flu through the media, but also seemed not to care about it.

Ly Sovann appealed to market vendors to stop selling suspicious chicken and other sick animals. He also urged people to abandon a habit of buying dead chickens, which cost less.

People should seek medical attention at local clinics if a fever pushes body temperatures above 38 degrees Celsius, if the fever persists for more than one week, or if they have diarrhea after touching sick or dead chickens.

Concerns over bird flu, also called avian influenza, can be addressed to the hotline: 012-488-981 or 012-836-868.

The disease, from birds infected with the H5N1 virus, has killed seven people in Cambodia since 2005.