News A state of emergency has been declared in the island nation, with the epidemic believed to have claimed more than a dozen lives. Plummeting vaccination rates have set the scene for a major measles epidemic in Samoa. Schools and universities have been closed until further notice in the island nation of 200,000. Children are banned from public gatherings and all unvaccinated adults are now required to be vaccinated for measles under the declaration. But experts have still slammed the ‘slow’ response to the epidemic, with predictions that more deaths are likely. MMR vaccine shortages are reportedly common, with more being rushed in from Australia and New Zealand. Dr Take Naseri, Samoa’s Director General of Health, said in a statement the Government is expecting the ‘worst was to come’ due to low vaccination rates and the highly infectious nature of the virus. While the official number of deaths is […]