A man walks past live chickens on the outskirts of Cairo, December 4, 2014 (Photo: Reuters)
Two women in their early twenties have died from bird flu in the Upper Egypt city of Fayoum, bringing 2015's death toll to eight.
The head of preventive medicine in Fayoum governorate, Makhlouf Ali, both women had been receiving treatment in the general hospital of the city.
Ali told Al-Ahram Arabic news website that a medical team has sterilised the women's homes.
Since the start of 2015, more than 20 bird flu cases have been recorded in Egypt, of which 10 have recovered, four died and another six are undergoing treatment.
Last year, 11 people died from bird flu.
Most cases of bird flu in Egypt have been found in rural areas, where villagers, especially women, tend to raise poultry in their homes, increasing exposure to live or dead infected birds.
The virus first appeared in Egypt in 2006.
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