An Egyptian working in Jordan was suffering from the H5N1 strain of bird flu, the first reported human case of the virus in the country, Jordanian Health Minister Saeed Darwazeh said Friday.

Darwazeh told a press conference here that the victim, identified as Abdul Fattah Ahmed Mess'ed, arrived on a boat from Egypt at the Red Sea port of Aqaba on March 28.

The 31-year-old Egyptian construction worker was suffering from the disease before arriving in Jordan, Darwazeh added.

Mess'ed was admitted to the Karak state hospital, south of Amman, where he tested positive for H5N1, Darwazeh said, adding that a sample of the laboratory results were sent to the World Health Organisation. He was in stable condition, the minister said.