Egyptian authorities have confirmed the country's first human death from bird flu.

Officials say the victim, a woman, died Friday and had the H5N1 strain of the virus.  Egypt last month announced the discovery of bird flu in the country.

Officials say the woman raised poultry domestically, despite a recent ban on the practice.  Police say security forces sealed off the woman's village.

In neighboring Israel, health officials are trying to halt the spread of bird flu and are destroying tens of thousands of fowl at affected farms.  Some 16,000 birds have died from the virus in Israel.

An official at Israel's Agricultural Ministry, Shimon Pokamonsky, told Israeli radio that all poultry within a three-kilometer radius of the infected farms will be destroyed.

Bird flu has also spread across parts of Europe, Africa and Asia, killing about 100 people since 2003.  Health officials have warned it could evolve into a virus that can be easily transmitted between humans and create a global pandemic.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.