The authorities in New Caledonia say they have had the first reported case of Creutzfeld-Jakob disease - a condition commonly linked to mad cow disease.
The newspaper, Les Nouvelles Caledoniennes, says the occurrence has been described as a one off and no risk to the rest of New Caledonia's population.
The health authorities have declined to give details about the person but they have disclosed that the patient has shown symptoms of the condition for some time.
They say although that person was a blood donor more than a decade ago, there is no concern that the disease could have spread.
