The Measles Emergency Is Over, But The Crisis Continues A Call To Action For The Pacific Islands

Abstract

On 15 November 2019, the Government of Samoa declared a state of emergency for the country due to a measles epidemic. The following six weeks were marked by closure of schools, prohibition of children at public gatherings, intensive immunization campaigns, curfews, and re-distribution of health resources and services to manage the overwhelming influx of measles patients. The state of emergency was lifted on the 29th of December 2019. According to the Joint WHO/UNICEF Pacific Islands Measles Outbreak Situation Report (8 January 2020), there was a total of 5697 measles cases (Total population of Samoa in 2016: 195 000) [1]. There were 83 measles-related deaths, with 87% of these among children under 5 years of age. There were 1860 measles-related hospital admissions, and 95% of cases recovered and were discharged.