Death Toll From Measles In Samoa Nears 40 - Government

The death toll from a measles epidemic in Samoa has increased to 39, as about 3,000 cases of the disease were registered in the country, the government of the island nation said on Thursday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th November, 2019) The death toll from a measles epidemic in Samoa has increased to 39, as about 3,000 cases of the disease were registered in the country, the government of the island nation said on Thursday.

Previous reports indicated that 32 people had died with about 2,400 registered cases of the disease.

"Latest update: 2,936 measles cases have been reported since the outbreak with 250 recorded in the last 24 hours. To date, 39 measles related deaths have been recorded. Since the Mass Vaccination Campaign on 20 Nov 2019, the Ministry has successfully vaccinated 44,907 individuals," the government said on Twitter.

On October 16, the country's Health Ministry declared a measles epidemic 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.

The World Health Organization said in August that the number of measles cases registered in the first half of 2019 is three times higher than during the same period last year, with the highest number of instances recorded in Ukraine, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Madagascar.