A 33-year-old woman in Egypt has contracted the bird flu virus. This is the 64th recorded case since the first outbreak of the disease in the country in 2006.
National reports state that the woman from the Kafr el-Sheikh province of northern Egypt is in critical condition and on an artificial respirator.
She first showed symptoms of the avian influenza virus after being exposed to dead fowl thought to have been carrying the disease, stated an official.
A total of 23 people have died of bird flu in Egypt. Most of the victims of the avian virus have been young girls or women, who are generally in charge of looking after poultry in rural areas.
Egypt hosted an international conference on bird flu in October 2008, when Washington pledged an additional US$320 mln to the fight against the disease.
Source: AFP