In the first six weeks of this year, 1,027 dengue cases have been reported, a figure close to the total number of cases recorded last year.
Health officials say they are particularly concerned that 546 of the 2009 caseload were reported in the past two weeks.
New Caledonia’s director of sanitary and social affairs, Jean Paul Grangeon, said the situation is worrying.
“There is a serious outbreak of dengue in New Caledonia. We’ve got nearly 60 new cases a day now,” he said.
Most of the infections involve Type 4 dengue fever, which was last recorded in New Caledonia 30 years ago, and against which most people have no immunity.
The outbreak has also spread to neighboring Pacific countries including Fiji, Samoa, Palau, Kiribati, Vanuatu, American Samoa and the Cook Islands.
Health authorities say that as the weather gets cooler and milder, the breeding rate of mosquitoes should slow, making it easier to bring the epidemic under control.
