A 19-year-old Egyptian man died of bird flu on Saturday, bringing the death toll of the fatal disease in the populous Arab country to 21, Egyptian Health Ministry said.

Mohamed Idris Hassan was from Beheira governorate, some 130 km north of the capital of Cairo, the official MENA news agency said.

The young man was admitted to the Alexandria Fever Hospital on Thursday after suffering from high temperature, respiratory problems and pneumonia.

Idris Hassan, who is also the country's 48th case of human bird flu, had contacts with infected birds, said the report.

Egypt detected its first H5N1 virus in dead poultry in February 2006 and the first human case in March of the same year.

(Xinhua News Agency April 6, 2008)