Rate of new measles cases in Samoa may have peaked - NZ doctor
Quoting Radio New Zealand – 10 December 2019
“A doctor leading New Zealand's medical response to the measles epidemic in Samoa says the virus is still taking children's lives but he's hopeful the mass vaccination program is beginning to help.
“The death toll from Samoa's measles epidemic yesterday reached 70, with 87 percent of those killed aged four years or younger.
“The government ordered a shutdown of the nation on Thursday and Friday to try to cope with the epidemic.
“Samoa's government said on Sunday it had vaccinated about 90 percent of the population.
“Hawke's Bay's Alan Wright is the Clinical Team Leader for the New Zealand Medical Assistance Team 'Bravo', the second rotation to help in Samoa with the outbreak.
“Dr Wright is running the response at Leulumoega District Hospital, with all other patients diverted for treatment to a smaller clinic near Faleolo Airport on Upolu.
“There was now a flattening off in severity of presentations and the rate of new cases appeared to have peaked, he said.
"From a national perspective, the vaccination campaign has been dramatically successful from what I can see in terms of numbers...Numbers are still reasonably high [but] the overall numbers across the country are just starting to drop down to 110 new presentations a day."
“However, some of the children presenting for treatment had been desperately sick for several days with serious infections”
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