First swine flu fatality in Spain

A 20-year-old Moroccan woman infected with swine flu has died in Madrid, becoming Spain's first fatality from the virus and the fourth in the EU.

The woman, who suffered from asthma, died of a respiratory illness caused by the flu, Spain's health ministry said.

She was seven months pregnant when she was admitted to hospital on 15 June. She had an emergency Caesarean section on Monday after her condition worsened.

Her baby is said to be in good health and has not been affected by the virus.

Since it first appeared in March, 717 people have been infected with the H1N1 virus in Spain, according to the country's health ministry.

One person is said to be in a serious condition in a hospital in Catalonia.

The latest global figures issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday gave the number of recorded swine flu cases as 70,893 worldwide, with 311 deaths.

The other three recorded fatalities in the EU have occurred in the UK. A nine-year-old girl died in Birmingham on Friday evening.