Bird flu causes 5 deaths in Libya: report

Five people have died in recent weeks in Libya as a result of bird flu, Baderedin al-Neyar, director of the National Centre for Disease Control says.

He declined to speculate as to the source of the infection.

Al-Neyar said three cases were recorded in the eastern city of Tobruk, on the border with Egypt, and the other two in the capital, Tripoli.

The two deaths at the medical centre of Tripoli were caused by the type A virus, he said, without specifying the type of virus that killed the other three victims in Tobruk or indicating when the deaths occurred.

In addition, Al-Neyar noted, five more people with the disease are undergoing treatment at a specialised centre in the Libyan capital.