In total, more than 5600 people became infected in the island state in the Pacific Ocean. A total of around 200,000 residents live there. Most victims were babies and young children.
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The outbreak had a major impact on public life in Samoa, located east of Australia. The infectious virus was able to spread quickly because the vaccination rate in the country was very low. Only 30 percent of the population had been vaccinated.
Mass vaccination
The UN made 2.6 million dollars available to tackle the epidemic. That money was intended for vaccinations and for the care of mothers and newborn babies who had already been infected.
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Red flags
Information was also shared on the island about the disease and clean water and sanitation were provided. And the Samoa government asked unvaccinated families to hang a red flag outside their home. The measures proved effective in the course of December; the number of deaths decreased in recent weeks.
The government has since announced that emergency measures – such as the closure of schools – will be withdrawn. The emergency measures were to prevent further spread of the disease.
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