A woman has died of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus in Egypt, according to a report issued by Mena, the state news agency.
The deceased is the 22nd fatality and the 49th case of the disease recorded in Egypt.
The woman, named as Wala Ahmed Abdel Galil (30), from the northeast Cairo suburb of Mataria, fell ill after coming into contact with sick domestic birds, the agency said, quoting the Ministry of Health.
Egypt has the highest number of confirmed human bird flu cases outside Asia. The virus has killed some 237 people in 12 countries since 2003.
Scientists fear the H5N1 virus could mutate to a form easily transmitted from human to human. As people would lack immunity, it could then sweep the world, killing millions, they say. Victims usually contract bird flu through direct exposure to diseased or dead poultry.