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Samoa Steps Up Measles Vaccinations Amid Epidemic That's Killed 62
Posted
December 5, 2019
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0:32
2:22Now PlayingSamoa's main streets were eerily quiet on Thursday as the government stepped up efforts to curb a measles epidemic that has killed 62 people.
The government told most public and private workers to stay home on Thursday and Friday and shut down roads to nonessential vehicles as teams began going door-to-door to administer vaccines.
Families in the Pacific island nation were asked to hang red flags from their houses if they needed to be vaccinated.
Most of those who have died from the virus are young, with 54 deaths among children aged four or younger.
Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi told reporters the vaccine drive was unprecedented in the nation's history.
Samoan authorities believe the virus was first spread by a traveller from New Zealand.
The nation declared a national emergency last month and mandated that all 200,000 people get vaccinated. The government has also closed all schools and banned children from public gatherings.
According to the government, more than 4,000 people have contracted the disease since the outbreak began and 172 people remain in hospitals, including 19 children in critical condition.
Figures from the World Health Organization and UNICEF indicate that fewer than 30% of Samoan infants were immunised last year.
That low rate was exacerbated by a medical mishap that killed two babies who were administered a vaccine that had been incorrectly mixed, causing wider delays and distrust in the vaccination programme.
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