The National University of Samoa also told students to stay home and said exams scheduled for this week had been indefinitely postponed. They counted 716 measles cases reported, with nearly 100 people still hospitalized including 15 in intensive care. But figures from the World Health Organization and UNICEF indicate that measles immunization rates among Samoan infants have fallen steeply from over 70% in 2013 to under 30% last year. ADNew Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Monday it was sending 3,000 vaccines to Samoa as well as nurses and medical supplies. Tonga, Fiji and New Zealand have also reported outbreaks of measles but on a smaller scale than in Samoa.

Source: Washington Post November 18, 2019 02:18 UTC