Since the Samoan government declared a national measles epidemic in late October, at least 53 people -- nearly all children -- have died from the highly contagious, vaccine-preventable disease. Most of them are children under the age of four.
Since the Samoan government declared a national measles epidemic in late October, at least 53 people -- nearly all children -- have died from the highly contagious, vaccine-preventable disease. Most of them are children under the age of 4.
The Samoan government officially declared a state of emergency on Nov. 15 and then launched a mandatory vaccination program for priority groups, including children and women of childbearing age who aren't pregnant. More than 58,000 people have been immunized against measles on the two main islands, Upolu and Savai’i. It typically takes about 10 to 14 days for the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine to become effective.
Measles is a highly infectious viral illness that infects the respiratory tract then spreads throughout the body. It typically begins with cold-like symptoms and a fever, then a rash of flat red spots breaks out on the skin a few days later. As many as one out of every 20 children with measles gets pneumonia, the most common cause of death from measles in young children. And about one child out of every 1,000 who get measles will develop encephalitis -- swelling of the brain -- that can lead to convulsions and cause deafness or intellectual disability, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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