Officials at the Ministry of Health have called on residents to undergo checks for avian influenza if they are beset by worrying symptoms during the upcoming cold season. "I would like to call on all Cambodians and foreigners to check their health at the nearest health centre as soon as they contract a cold," said Ly Sovann, deputy director of the ministry's communicable diseases control department. He said the cold season, which lasts from January to April, presents a higher risk of a bird flu outbreak.