3 Jan 2019

Wallis raises dengue alert

8:48 am on 3 January 2019

The authorities in Wallis and Futuna have decided to use thermal cameras at the international airport to detect possible carriers of dengue fever.

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Photo: 123RF

The territory declared a dengue epidemic in late 2017 and 225 people have since been infected with the mosquito-borne disease.

In November, an eight-year-old child died from the illness.

Most sufferers are on Wallis but 14 people with dengue are on the neighbouring island of Futuna.

The additional vigilance at the airport comes after a dengue spike in New Caledonia which declared a state of epidemic just before Christmas.