CAIRO, Mar7 (Aswat Masriya) - Egypt's ministry of health reported on Saturday the death of two women infected with the H5N1 bird flu virus, reported the state news agency MENA.

The women are from the governorates of Menufia and Sharqiya, the Health Ministry said in a statement reported by MENA. 

The virus has killed over a dozen this year alone, according to Health Ministry figures.

The ministry announced on Thursday an "exceptional" plan to combat the virus, costing the government around 140 Egyptian pounds.

Since it first surfaced in Egypt in 2006,  cases of H5N1 have been largely concentrated in rural areas, where proximity and interaction with poultry increases.

The World Health Organisation warned that there is a risk of human infection when the virus is circulating in poultry, especially to those in infected environments.

The death toll from the virus reached 11 in 2014 in Egypt.