Last month, the Saudi authorities ordered nearly four million birds culled in the face of at least 14 separate outbreaks of avian influenza. There have been no reports of the disease spreading to humans in the oil-rich desert kingdom.

The H5N1 strain first emerged in Asia in 2003, and has caused more than 200 deaths in humans, with Indonesia and Vietnam among the worst hit countries, according to World Health Organization figures.

Pakistan on Saturday confirmed its first death from the bird flu virus, reported AFP.