2019 Samoa measles outbreak
The 2019 Samoa measles outbreak began in September 2019. As of December 13, there were 5,080 confirmed cases of measles and 72 deaths, out of a Samoan population of 201,316.[1] There have also been 10 reported cases in Fiji.[2] It is expected that 70 people will die and up to 6,500 people will be infected.[3]
A state of emergency was declared on November 17, ordering the closure of all schools, keeping children under 17 away from public events, and making vaccination mandatory.[4]
On December 2, 2019, the government imposed a curfew and cancelled all Christmas celebrations and public gatherings. All unvaccinated families have been ordered to display a red flag or red cloth in front of their homes to warn others. On December 5th and 6th, the government shut down everything other than public utilities to move all civil servants over to the vaccination campaign.[5]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ Gibney, Katherine. "Measles in Samoa: how a small island nation found itself in the grips of an outbreak disaster". Retrieved 12 December 2019.
- ↑ Beat, Pacific (2019-11-26). "Samoa makes measles vaccinations compulsory after outbreak kills 32". ABC News. Retrieved 2019-11-26.
- ↑ emma.russell@nzherald.co.nz, Emma Russell Emma Russell is a health reporter for the New Zealand Herald (2019-11-29). "Samoan measles outbreak: 70 deaths projected and 6500 infected". The New Zealand Herald. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 2019-12-01.
- ↑ "Measles outbreak: Samoa declares state of emergency after 6 fatalities". Deutsche Welle. Germany. 2019-11-18. Archived from the original on 2019-11-19.
- ↑ Clarke, Melissa (2019-12-08). "Anatomy of an epidemic: How measles took hold of Samoa". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corp. Archived from the original on 10 December 2019.