CAIRO (Reuters) - A 2-year-old Egyptian boy has beeninfected with the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus, bringing thenumber of cases in the most populous Arab country to 50, statenews agency MENA said on Wednesday.

MENA identified the child as Mahmoud Ibrahim Ramadan fromthe Nile Delta province of Sharkia, quoting Egypt's healthministry. It said he had been infected after exposure tohousehold birds.

MENA said the boy started showing symptoms of the illnesson Sunday and was taken to hospital the next day where he wastreated with the anti-viral drug Tamiflu. He was in stablecondition.

A total of 22 Egyptians have died of the H5N1 strain ofbird flu since it first appeared in Egypt in February 2006.

About 5 million households in Egypt depend on poultry as amain source of food and income, and the government has saidthis makes it unlikely the disease can be eradicated despite alarge-scale poultry vaccination program.

Deaths from bird flu total more than 230 worldwide since2003 and have been reported in several African and Asiancountries. Egypt has been the worst-hit country outside ofAsia.

(Writing by Cynthia Johnston; Editing by Giles Elgood)