17 Feb 2021

Samoa govt accused of negligence

From , 6:02 am on 17 February 2021

The Samoa government is being accused of ignoring mass vaccination advice from its own medical experts ahead of a deadly measles epidemic in 2019 that killed 83 people in the country, most of them babies and young children.

Two consecutive health reports one a 2018 study and the other a commission of inquiry report delivered early in 2019 urged the Samoa govt to conduct a mass vaccination drive given the country's low herd immunity at the time amid a growing global measles epidemic.

It took the government another seven months to start rolling out a mass vaccination drive policy resembling the recommendations in the reports but by then the measles epidemic had already taken hold.

The commission's final report, obtained by the Samoa Observer, shows the government was warned a global measles epidemic was edging closer to Samoa day-by-day.

Samoa Observer journalist, Sapeer Mayron, is part of the team that broke the story, she spoke with Moera Tuilaepa Taylor beginning by talking about why herd immunity was so low in Samoa at the time.

This handout picture released from UNICEF Samoa shows nurse April Wilson (L) and team leader Luisa Popo preparing vaccinations during a nationwide campaign against measles in the Samoan town of Le'auva'a.

This handout picture released from UNICEF Samoa shows nurse April Wilson (L) and team leader Luisa Popo preparing vaccinations during a nationwide campaign against measles in the Samoan town of Le'auva'a. Photo: AFP PHOTO / ALLAN STEPHEN / UNICEF