Science and Medicine

2019 Samoa measles outbreak

The 2019 Samoa measles outbreak began in September 2019. By 6 January 2020, over 5,700 cases of measles and 83 deaths had been reported, out of a population of 200,874, an infection rate of more than 2.5%. The cause of the outbreak was decreased vaccination rates among newborns, from 74% in 2017 to 31–34% in 2018. Nearby islands had rates near 99%. On 17 November, a state of emergency was declared, closing all schools, keeping children under 17 away from public events, and mandating vaccination. On 2 December, the government imposed a curfew and cancelled all Christmas celebrations and public gatherings. Families seeking MMR vaccination were asked by the government to display a red cloth in front of their homes to alert mobile medical teams traveling the island during the lockdown. Some added messages like "Help!" or "I want to live!" On 5 and 6 December, the government shut down public services except for water and electricity and reposted civil servants to the vaccination campaign. On 7 December, the curfew was lifted when the government estimated that the vaccination program had reached 90% of the population. On 14 December, the state of emergency was extended to 29 December. Samoan anti-vaccination activist Edwin Tamasese was arrested and charged with "incitement against a government order". By 22 December 2019, an estimated 94% of the eligible population had been vaccinated.

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See also

• ▸Georgios Papanikolaou
• ▸Hiroshige
• ▸James A. Garfield

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