A 30-year-old Egyptian woman has died of bird flu, the country's first human victim of the virus, Egypt's health ministry said on Saturday.

It said the woman from Qaloubiyah province, about 40 kms (25 miles) north of Cairo, where the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain has been detected in poultry, was taken ill on Wednesday.

"They (doctors) took samples for analysis at the ministry of health laboratories ... They confirmed she was infected with bird flu. She died on Friday morning," a health ministry statement said, adding the woman had been given Tamiflu, a drug used to treat suspected cases of bird flu.

Israel said on Saturday that four poultry workers suspected of having bird flu had tested negative for the virus, after the country detected its first cases of H5N1 in birds on Friday.

Bird flu has spread across Europe, Africa and parts of Asia and killed at least 98 people worldwide since 2003.

Although hard to catch, people can contract bird flu after coming into contact with infected birds. Scientists fear the virus could mutate into a form that could pass easily between humans, triggering a pandemic in which millions could die.

The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that Egypt had reported its first human case of bird flu.

Dr Hassan al-Bushra, WHO's regional adviser for communicable diseases surveillance, said the H5N1 bird flu virus had been found in a blood sample taken from the woman, and that other samples were being tested for further confirmation.

Egypt reported its first cases of bird flu in poultry flocks last month. Media and state reports say H5N1 has now been detected in at least 17 of Egypt's 26 governorates and the city of Luxor.

Egyptian farmers say the poultry market -- worth about 17 billion Egyptian pounds ($3 billion dollars) and supporting up to 3 million people -- has been devastated.

TESTS NEGATIVE

The Israeli Health Ministry said four people suspected of having bird flu had tested negative for the virus.

Two Israeli farms were confirmed on Friday to have infected poultry after thousands of turkeys and chickens died. Tests are being carried out on another two farms where H5N1 is suspected.

Israeli officials said poultry in the infected areas and their surroundings would be culled and the carcasses buried in underground pits.

In a rare act of cooperation, Israel was also testing dead fowl found in the West Bank and Gaza on behalf of the Palestinian Authority to try to control the spread of the virus.

Serbia on Friday said three children and a teenager from a bird flu affected area were in hospital after developing fever and flu-like symptoms.

Three women who died in Azerbaijan are also thought to be bird flu victims, but the WHO is awaiting the results of further tests before confirming the cause of death.

Bird flu has shaken poultry markets around the world as consumers have lost their appetites for chicken, with some countries reporting a drop in sales of up to 70 percent.

The EU banned poultry imports from Israel after the discovery of H5N1 there, the EU's executive Commission said.

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