Egypt confirms first case of bird flu in human-WHO

CAIRO, Mar 18 (Reuters) Egypt confirmed its first human case of bird flu today, a World Health Organisation (WHO) official said.

A report carried by the state MENA news agency said a woman with symptoms of the disease had died in Al-Qaloubiyah province, about 40 km north of Cairo.

Egypt had previously reported cases of the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of bird flu in poultry flocks.

Bird flu has spread across Europe, Africa and parts of Asia and killed at least 98 people worldwide since 2003.

Although hard to catch, scientists fear the virus could mutate into a form that could easily pass from one person to another, triggering a pandemic in which millions could die.

Reuters DKS GC1627