Egypt on Friday reported the third swine flu-related death in the country, where over 1,000 cases of the disease have been reported.
A 23-year-old woman from the Giza province died of the A(H1N1) virus, bringing to three the number of deaths since the disease first appeared, health ministry spokesman Abdel Rahman Shahin told the official MENA news agency.
Egypt, whose 80 million people make it the Arab world's most populous country, is already struggling with the deadly H5N1 strain, known as bird flu.
Of the 87 cases bird flu confirmed to date in Egypt, 27 have been fatal, according to the World Health organisation.
Authorities have taken strict measures to contain the spread of swine flu including imposing travel restrictions on pilgrims going to and from Saudi Arabia and delaying school and university entrance dates by a few weeks.
The country's 250,000 pigs were also slaughtered in a step that drew heavy criticism.
Copyright 2009 AFP Global Edition
