Health authorities in French Polynesia say a fifth person has died and they estimate nearly 27,000 people have now been affected by the mosquito borne illness, chikungunya.
A 78-year old man is the lastest person to die from the illness.
Estimates are that 9,000 people have been infected in the past week.
The authorities say 92 percent of the cases are in the main islands of Tahiti and Moorea but the disease is now beginning to spread to outer islands as schools close and the holiday season begins.
