PAGO-PAGO, American Samoa – The US Pacific territory of American Samoa has declared a measles emergency, prompting its nearest island neighbor to announce journey restrictions Wednesday.
After one confirmed and 31 possible instances of the viral an infection, American Samoa’s governor Lemanu Mauga declared a public well being emergency, fearing a doubtlessly lethal outbreak.
The Pacific territory is house to about 50,000 folks, together with a large contingent of US navy personnel.
The suspected instances embody youngsters who’ve been hospitalized, however are beneath six months outdated and ineligible for the vaccine, the federal government has stated.
Scott Anesi, an epidemiologist on the Department of Health, advised AFP Wednesday that it is now “a waiting game” to get the outcomes of the suspected instances from a laboratory on close by Hawaii.
Anesi stated the main focus is on getting as many individuals as attainable vaccinated.
The authorities has stated the present vaccination charges on American Samoa “are not sufficient” to stop the illness from spreading.
All faculties and daycare services have been ordered to shut for 3 weeks.
The authorities of neighboring Samoa has stated that from Monday, vacationers arriving from American Samoa should present proof of a measles vaccination.
Accompanying youngsters beneath two years of age should have had at the very least a single vaccine dose, it added.
In 2019 Samoa staged a two-day lock down aimed toward containing a month-long measles epidemic that had killed at the very least 81 folks together with dozens of youngsters.
Non-essential authorities companies and inter-island ferries have been closed, and residents have been positioned beneath a dawn-to-dusk curfew and the unimmunized have been advised to put a pink flag on their properties.
According to the World Health Organization, measles is especially lethal amongst youngsters beneath the age of 5.
The extremely contagious viral an infection had killed tens of millions of individuals annually earlier than vaccination turned widespread. — Agence France-Presse
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
