Egyptian Health Ministry spokesman Abdel-Rahman Shahin said the latest human case was a 15-year-old girl called Maryana Kamil Mikhael, who came from the Shubra district of Cairo.

Mikhael was admitted to hospital on Thursday, suffering from high temperature after contacting infected birds, said the spokesman, adding she was receiving the antiviral drug Tamiflu and her condition was stable.

Of the 34 human cases reported in Egypt so far, 13 died, 18 recovered while the other three are being treated, according to Shahin.

Egypt found the first bird flu case in dead poultry on February 17, 2006 and then the virus spread to 20 of the country's 26 governorates, while the first human bird flu case was reported on March 18 last year.