24 Aug 2009

New Caledonia swine flu death toll reaches five

1:39 pm on 24 August 2009

Two more people in New Caledonia have died of swine flu, bringing the death toll to five in just over week.

The latest fatalities are a 30-year-old man and a 46-year-old woman.

The authorities says the two victims had no known health issues before getting the flu.

The first person to die of an H1N1 infection in the territory was an eight-year-old girl.

The authorities say the flu outbreak, which may have peaked, has affected about 20,000 people.