An Egyptian woman has died of bird flu, the country´s first human victim of the virus, Egypt´s health ministry said on Saturday.

It said a 30-year-old woman from Qaloubiyah province, about 40 kms (25 miles) north of Cairo, was taken ill on Wednesday.

"They (doctors) took samples for analysis at the ministry of health laboratories ... They confirmed she was infected with bird flu. She died on Friday morning," a health ministry statement said, adding the woman had been given Tamiflu, a drug used to treat suspected cases of bird flu.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) confirmed that Egypt had reported its first human case of bird flu.

"It was confirmed last night and reported officially this morning," said Dr Hassan al-Bushra, WHO´s regional adviser for communicable diseases surveillance.

He said the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu had been found in a blood sample taken from the woman, and that other samples were being tested for confirmation.

The woman had earlier reported the death of chickens she reared at her home, Bushra said, adding initial reports seemed to indicate that she had then killed other chickens herself for consumption.

She was later admitted to hospital with a fever and shortness of breath.

"People think that they can kill and slaughter the chickens and eat them. Health education is the issue," Bushra said.

The highly pathogenic H5N1 strain has been found in birds in 18 of the country´s 26 governorates.

Telephone hotlines set up after the disease was initially discovered last month in Egypt, the world´s most populous Arab state, were jammed by worried Egyptians after farmers reportedly threw slaughtered poultry onto the streets and into the Nile river.

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

Although hard to catch, people can contract bird flu after coming into contact with infected birds. Scientists fear the virus could mutate into a form that could pass easily between humans, triggering a pandemic in which millions could die.

Previous Egyptian government statements had said the virus was being contained after it was first reported in February.

Egyptian farmers say the poultry market -- worth about 17 billion Egyptian pounds ($3 billion dollars) and supporting up to 3 million people -- has been devastated.