13 Feb 2017

Dengue claims life in New Caledonia

5:47 am on 13 February 2017
Zika mosquito

Zika mosquito Photo: 123.rf

This year's dengue epidemic in New Caledonia has claimed its first life.

A 25-year-old woman in the Noumea area died of dengue type 1 and authorities said she was not considered to be at special risk.

They said she had not travelled in the three weeks before her death.

Hundreds of people have been infected this year and an epidemic was declared in the first week of January as about 20 people a day were being infected with the mosquito-borne disease.

Another two dozen patients have contracted dengue type 2 which was brought into the territory through Vanuatu.