Egyptian girl tests positive for bird flu

A 10-year-old Egyptian girl has tested positive for bird flu, bring to 35 the number of Egyptians who have been infected with the virus since it first appeared in the country last year, the state-run news agency reported.

Photo: Egyptian girl tests positive for bird flu

The girl was infected after mingling with birds raised at her home in the southern city of Qena, Egypt's Middle East News Agency quoted the Health Ministry as saying Friday.

The girl is hospitalized in critical condition, MENA said.

Out of the 35 bird flu cases, 14 Egyptians have died, according to the agency. Most of the fatalities have been women or girls whose families were raising poultry in the backyards and had daily contact with chickens or turkeys.

Egypt is one of the countries most affected by the H5N1 virus outside Asia, where the outbreak began. The country lies on a main route for migratory birds, which are believed to have brought the disease from Asia.