18 Apr 2017

Woman in New Caledonia dies of dengue

2:30 pm on 18 April 2017

Another person has died of dengue in New Caledonia, bringing the number of fatalities this year to seven.

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Photo: 123RF

The public broadcaster said the victim was a 57-year-old woman from Paita who died in Noumea's hospital on Saturday.

A dengue epidemic was declared in early January and about 2400 people have been infected in the current outbreak.

At start of the month, Jean-Paul Grangeon of New Caledonia's Health and Social Affairs Directorate said the outbreak was stabilising amid hope of a respite with cooler weather.

However, last week's Cyclone Cook has rekindled concerns that mosquito-borne diseases could spread again, with the public being told to be vigilant.

There are also fears that leptospirosis cases will increase after the cyclone.

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