A British schoolgirl diagnosed with swine flu earlier this week was said yesterday to be fighting for her life in a hospital in Athens.

A report in the British press identified the girl as Natasha Newman from North London and quoted doctors at the Pendeli Children’s Hospital in northern Athens as describing her condition as “very serious.”

“There is no doubt that she contracted the illness while in London but there was a delay in receiving treatment,” a hospital doctor said. The 16-year-old was transferred to Athens earlier the week after falling ill during a holiday with her parents on the Ionian island of Cephalonia.

Newman is the third serious case of H1N1 to have been reported in Greece. Health Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos, who is today expected to unveil an action plan for tackling a possible pandemic, yesterday met with the heads of local authorities who appealed for funding.