Nearly 50 children in Samoa have died in measles outbreak

More than 50 people — mostly children — have died in Samoa in a measles outbreak that has raged on since late October. The Samoan government declared a national emergency last month and ordered all 200,000 people on the island to get vaccinated: Immunization rates among infants dropped to around 30% last year (down from over 60% in previous years), in part after two infants were mistakenly thought to have died after receiving the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine. About 60,000 individuals have been vaccinated since Nov. 20. In the current outbreak, more than 3,700 cases have been reported. Of the 53 who have died, 23 have been infants younger than 1, while 25 have been kids ages 1-4. The CDC, and other health agencies have sent experts to help address the crisis, while the Samoan government announced yesterday that it would be closing down for the next two days so civil servants could focus on the immunization campaign.