Four new people identified as positive with bird flu in Egypt while three others recovered, the health ministry said on Sunday.

The four include two children less than three years old. All four cases from Suhag, Giza, Alexandria and Cairo were admitted to hospitals.

Another three people were completely cured. The latest bird flu death was reported in January. A total of six people were killed by the virus since the beginning of 2015, while 11 people were killed throughout last year.

Most cases of bird flu in Egypt have been identified 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.