A couple from Texas was enjoying their dream vacation on the South Pacific island of Fiji when they started to feel sick. David and Michelle Paul knew something was wrong and checked themselves into a local hospital on the second-to-last day of their trip.
Doctors at the hospital were stumped and couldn't figure out what could make a healthy, fit couple so ill in such a short period of time. Unfortunately, the illness killed the couple before the pair could be airlifted to a facility in Australia that might have been able to help them.
Health officials from Fiji and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control are trying to determine what caused the couple to get sick and are holding their bodies until they can be sure they are not infectious. They have sent samples overseas to be tested, hoping to solve the mystery.
"The Embassy has facilitated contact between the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Fiji's Ministry of Health to ascertain the causes of death and to assist in any related measures," the U.S. Embassy in Fiji said in a statement. "We appreciate the efforts made thus far by the Fijian authorities and stand ready to provide further assistance if requested. At this point, we are not aware of any specific public-health threat to the community."
An Embassy official told KVUE that it is flu season in Fiji and the government has been warning people to take extra precautions to avoid getting sick.
The couple leaves behind two children who are now being cared for by relatives.