Moscow, Dec 22: A measles outbreak in Samoa has already killed 79 people, with over 5,500 cases of the disease registered in the country, which has a population of less than 200,000, the Samoan government said on Sunday. “Latest update: 5,520 measles cases have been reported since the outbreak with 26 recorded in the last 24 hrs. To date, 79 measles related deaths have been recorded, with no fatalities in the last 24 hrs,” the government said on Twitter. The government added 94 percent of the Samoan population were vaccinated as of Saturday. The country’s health ministry declared a measles outbreak on October 16 after the first deaths were reported.
Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that starts in the respiratory system. Its spread has been steadily on the rise since 2016.
(AGENCIES)
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