About 33 people have died from bird flu in Egpyt since the start of 2015, according to Egyptian officials.

Around 263 cases of bird flu have been reported in 25 governorates since the beginning of this year, Moussa Soliman, head of poultry at the General Authority for Veterinary Services announced on Friday.

The most recent deaths were in Cairo, and the Nile Delta governorates of Menoufiya, Fayoum and Kafr El-Sheikh, according to the Minister of Local and Administrative Development Adel Labib.

The minister added that infections are most common in the Nile Delta governorate of Sharqiya.

Officials from the veterinary services body have launched awareness campaigns around the governorate in an effort to educate the public and to eradicate the virus, which is spread by handling diseased birds.  

The health ministry has reiterated its calls for people who handle poultry to seek immediate treatment if they start to experience flu symptoms. It also advises them to cover their noses and mouths when they deal with any kind of domesticated birds.

In Egypt, most cases of bird flu have been identified in rural areas, where villagers tend to raise poultry in their homes, increasing exposure to live or dead infected birds.

Bird flu first appeared in Egypt in 2006.