Egypt ? A 25-year-old woman has died of bird flu in Egypt, the country’s health ministry spokesman said on Wednesday.

According to the ministry, the woman who contracted the virus in the Beni Suweif province was hospitalized last Friday with a fever and breathing difficulties.

Abdul Rahman Shahin said this was the 16th victim of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus since the first case was reported in the Middle East country in February 2006.

A total of 207 deaths have been registered worldwide by the World Health Organization since 2003.