afrol News, 26 January - The Egyptian health ministry has confirmed that a 2 year old child has been infected with the deadly bird flu strain, making it the 53rd case since the H5 H1 virus was first reported in the North African state in 2006.

Health ministry spokesman, said a girl, Sherouk Mohammad Said, of Menoufiya province, contracted the virus through exposure to household poultry. The spokesman said Said began suffering flu-like symptoms on Friday and was hospitalised the same day.

The official however said the young girl was treated with the antiviral drug Tamiflu and was reported to be in a stable condition.

This is the second case of human bird flu reported in Egypt in 2009. On 12 January , a 21-month-old baby girl from Kerdasa, in the northern Egypt was also reported to have been infected with the virus.

During an international bird flu conference at Egypt's resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh last year, the country's health minister said Egypt would need some $2.2 billion to deal with the virus over the next three years.

Egypt has had the highest number of human cases after Indonesia and Vietnam. Of the 53 human cases in Egypt over almost three years, 23 have died, but the number of cases seems to be diminishing.

Since the first case in 2003 there have been 252 human deaths globally from the H5N1 strain of bird flu and at least 399 confirmed cases of infection. Egypt has had more cases than any country outside Asia.

By staff writer

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