New Caledonia Travel Health

Travel Health

Outbreaks of the mosquito-borne disease, dengue fever, are common in New Caledonia with more serious outbreaks occurring from time to time, especially during the warm wet months of February to May. It is strongly recommended visitors take precautions against being bitten by mosquitoes, including using insect repellent.

Small outbreaks of leptospirosis, an infectious bacterial disease that occurs in rodents, dogs and can be transmitted to humans, are common with more serious outbreaks occurring from time to time, particularly during March to May. Wear closed-in shoes when walking, avoid swimming in rivers or muddy water, storing food in enclosed containers, not drinking straight from cans (using a straw is recommended) and removing rubbish from around homes.

No vaccinations are required from entry into New Caledonia unless travelling from an infected area.

Medical facilities in New Caledonia are fairly good for basic ailments and injuriest. Noumea's central hospital can handle routine and emergency matters but more complicated conditions usually result in evacuation to Australia.

The costs for medical and hospital care New Caledonia can be very high with hospitalisation for a night costing in the thousands and evacuation in the tens of thousands.

There is only one hyperbaric (decompression) chamber in New Caledonia, located in Noumea. Many of the popular dive sites are located on other islands and it may take several hours to reach facilities in the event of an decompression accident.

Search and rescue facilities are available although limited. One of the main difficulties is in communication as there is very limited mobile phone coverage and sometimes difficult access to some parts of the islands.

Town tap water is safe to drink. It is recommended you boil all drinking water or drink only bottled water while in rural areas.

Cyclone season in New Caledonia is from November to April when flooding, landslides and disruptions to services may occur. However, tropical storms and cyclones may occur in other months.

New Caledonia is in an active earthquake zone. There is the chance of large, destructive tsunamis because of the many earthquakes along major tectonic plate boundaries in the Pacific. If a natural disaster occurs, follow the advice of local authorities.

French Customs and Border Police operating in New Caledonia are very strict on importation of counterfeit (non-genuine) goods. If found in your possession, the counterfeit goods will be confiscated and you will be fined an amount equivalent to the assessed purchase price of the genuine item. Detection methods include conducting searches of arriving tourists.

In an emergency, for fire or ambulance services in New Caledonia dial ‘18’ and for police, ‘17’.

We strongly advise that all Australian travellers check the latest travel advice on the Australian Government Smart Traveller site.