Egypt confirms bird flu cases

Egypt's health ministry has confirmed that another women has died from the H5N1 strain of bird flu, bringing the total number of bird flu deaths in the country this week up to four.

According to newspaper Al-Ahram, Hanem Atwa Ibrahim, from Cairo, died on Monday January 1st in hospital, and is the 19th person to die from the disease in Egypt within the last two years.

All four of the most recent deaths involved women, and are thought to have resulted from exposure to infected backyard birds.

Outside of Asia, Egypt has had one of the worst outbreaks of bird flu, due to its location on major bird migration paths and the common practice of keeping domestic fowl.

According to the World Health Organisation, some of those who died in Egypt last year were found to be infected with a strain of the virus showing moderate resistance to the antiviral drug Tamiflu.

Since the resurgence of the disease in December 2003, more than 213 people have died of H5N1 bird flu around the world.

Experts have warned that if the virus mutates so it can be passed directly between humans, it could become a global pandemic.

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