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Measles Cases in Samoa More Than Double Over Past Week as Death Toll Rises

posted by martyb on Tuesday December 03 2019, @01:55AM   Printer-friendly
from the who-spotted-it? dept.

upstart writes in with a submission, via IRC for Runaway1956.

Measles cases in Samoa more than double over past week as death toll rises - National

The number of suspected cases of measles on the Pacific island of Samoa has more than doubled over the past week to 3,530 and deaths related to the outbreak rose to 48 from 20 a week ago, the country’s Ministry of Health said on Sunday.

Samoa has become vulnerable to measles outbreaks as the number of people becoming immunized has declined with the World Health Organisation (WHO) saying vaccine coverage is just about 31 per cent.

[...] The government started a mandatory vaccination program on Nov. 20 after declaring a state of emergency due to the outbreak. The health ministry said in its statement that 57,132 people have since been vaccinated.

Schools and universities have been closed and most public gatherings banned on the island state of just 200,000, located south of the equator and half way between Hawaii and New Zealand.

Of the 48 deaths, 44 where among children under the age of four. Since Saturday, there have been 173 new cases of measles recorded and four people have died.

Neighboring New Zealand and a number of other countries and organizations, including the U.N. agency UNICEF, have delivered thousands of vaccines, medical supplies and have sent medical personnel to help with the outbreak.

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  • (Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Tuesday December 03 2019, @06:51PM (1 child)

    by DeathMonkey (1380) on Tuesday December 03 2019, @06:51PM (#927762) Journal

    I don't think he was claiming there is zero chance of catching the measles when vaccinated. Everybody knows vaccines aren't 100% effective.

    He was rebutting this claim, by my reading: "the vaccine can mutate and give you measels."

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  • (Score: 2) by Mykl on Tuesday December 03 2019, @10:38PM

    by Mykl (1112) on Tuesday December 03 2019, @10:38PM (#927870)

    I don't think he was claiming there is zero chance of catching the measles when vaccinated. Everybody knows vaccines aren't 100% effective

    Aristarchus did think that vaccines are 100% effective:

    So the issue is not, and never was, that those who were innoculated were at risk of contracting the contagion, they were not

    He goes on to say that the risk is only to those who were unvaccinated.

    This is the main problem with anti-vaxxers. If they were only endangering themselves and their families, that might be one thing. But their refusal to vaccinate can put my kids at risk even though they have been vaccinated. Anti-vaxxers are truly selfish parasites who rely on the efforts of others to protect themselves and their kids, while endangering everybody else in the process.