A English language foreign student whose body was found in her apartment last month had died of swine flu, the health authorities said yesterday.

This is the third swine flu death to be officially confirmed in Malta.

Contrary to the other two victims, who both suffered from chronic conditions, the Spaniard, 31, did not appear to have had any underlying condition, even though a copy of her medical history had not yet been obtained, a health spokesman said.

The lag of time between her death and the official announcement was caused by a problem with the Maltese tests, which did not detect the swine flu. Doctors working on the case remained suspicious and sent the swabs abroad for routine double checking. They returned yesterday indicating it was indeed swine flu.

The woman, who the authorities would not name, was found lifeless in a Buġibba apartment on August 23 at about 5 p.m. by a friend, like her from Barcelona. The male friend, 32, said he had noticed she was sick in the days before she died.

The first swine flu victim in Malta was an 82-year-old woman and the second, a 63-year-old man, was admitted to hospital on the same day the Spanish student died.

To date, 282 cases were confirmed, with 255 recovering without complications.

The European Commission has just unveiled a new swine flu strategy aimed at helping member states coordinate better an eventual spread of the disease.

The strategy suggests that member states that end up with more vaccines than needed would be able to share them with the other countries in order to ensure as much coverage as possible.

The measure is especially pertinent after studies found that one shot of pandemic vaccine, not two as originally thought, is likely to suffice for most people.

kbugeja@timesofmalta.com