Canberra - At least 53 people, mostly children, have died in
Samoa due to a measles outbreak since last month, despite a state of
emergency being in place, the Pacific island government said.
According to the latest update on Monday, 3,728 measles cases had
been reported since the outbreak of the infectious disease, the
Samoan ministry of health said.
Monday's death toll of 53 is up from 20 reported a week ago. All but
four of the deaths recorded were children under the age of 4, the
Samoan government said in a press release.
Five fatalities were in the last 24 hours, the government said, and
198 new cases had been reported since Saturday.
Since mid-November, the government has declared a state of emergency
and closed schools and a university. Anyone aged under 19 is barred
from public gatherings.
According to Radio New Zealand (RNZ), the measles outbreak in the
Pacific is believed to have originated in New Zealand, but has now
affected other countries, including in Fiji and Tonga.
Samoa has been hit the hardest due to low vaccination rates, with the
vaccination rate at 28 to 40 per cent, according to UNICEF.
Since the outbreak, the government has spent millions of dollars on a
mass vaccination campaign.
Since November 20, over 58,000 people aged from 6 months to 60 years
old have been successfully vaccinated - more than a quarter of the
total population.
Also, Samoa announced the closing of all government offices, except
for water an electricity authorities, on Thursday and Friday so
that public sector workers could help with the vaccination campaign.
In a nationwide address on Monday evening, Prime Minister Tuila'epa
Sa'ilele Maleilegaoi said the government closures would allow workers
to reach the at-risk population in the vaccination campaign.
Meanwhile, Samoa police have warned the Samoans not to defy curfew
orders during the state of emergency after some people defied the
orders by taking their children to public gatherings, including
church services, the Samoa Observer newspaper reported.
Papalii Monalisa Tiai-Keti, Samoa's deputy police commissioner, said
police could even resort to arrest or charging people for defying the
orders, according to Radio New Zealand.