Asia | Red alert

The anti-vax movement causes an epidemic in Samoa

The government has ordered mandatory measles vaccinations for the whole country

Dec 5th 2019|WELLINGTON

SAMOA’S STREETS are silent. The only busy spots are the country’s hospitals, where fearful families queue for vaccinations. An epidemic of the measles has so far produced 4,000 infections and 60 deaths, in a country of 200,000 people. The government has announced a state of emergency, closed all schools and banned private vehicles from the roads. People have been told to stay in their homes, and hang red cloths in front of them to indicate the presence of unvaccinated residents. Mobile vaccination units are touring the country in a mandatory mass inoculation campaign.

This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Red alert”