Egypt's health ministry says a second 25-year-old woman has died from the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu in less than one week.
In a statement reported Sunday by Egypt's state news agency, MENA, the ministry said the woman died in a hospital in the Nile Delta province of Mansura. She was admitted three days ago.
Hers was Egypt's 17th death and 42nd human infection since the bird flu virus first appeared there in February 2006.
Another 25-year-old woman died from the virus last week in Egypt. Authorities suspect the woman came into contact with infected birds at her home - the most common route of infection.
Two other patients who were admitted to Egyptian hospitals in the past week have been diagnosed with bird flu.
Health experts are concerned that the virus could evolve into a form easily transmissible between humans, which could cause a dangerous global pandemic.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
