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WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) – The Fijian authorities announced Tuesday that a young Texan couple on vacation in the South Pacific country had died of an unidentified illness.
The couple arrived in Fiji on May 22nd and was taken to hospital after falling ill, according to the Fiji Ministry of Health and Medical Services. In a statement, their health conditions deteriorated despite medical attention and they died a few days apart.
The ministry said it was working with police forensics, the World Health Organization and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to try to determine the cause of death. The ministry reported having public health measures in place, but did not specify what these measures were.
The Texas TV channel WFAA identified the couple as David and Michelle Paul of Fort Worth. The couple had a 2 year old son and David Paul had a daughter from a previous relationship, according to the station.
David Paul was a veteran of the Air Force and the couple was physically fit, said Tracey Calanog, a relative of the WFAA.
Calanog said the couple loved to travel and organized the trip to Fiji for some time: "They were planning an extraordinary holiday," she said.
She said that the couple's children were with parents.
The US embbady in Fiji said in a statement that it has been working closely with the government, police and health officials in Fiji for more than a week to investigate deaths.
"We appreciate the efforts made so far by the Fijian authorities and are ready to provide additional badistance, if necessary," said the embbady. "At this point, we are not aware of any specific threat to public health regarding the community."
Fiji has just over 900,000 inhabitants and is a popular tourist destination due to its warm climate, white sand beaches and coral reefs.
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