Health
American Samoa declares public health emergency, ramps up vaccination amid fears of measles outbreak
American Samoa has declared a public health emergency amid fears of a deadly measles outbreak.
Key Point:
- Epidemiologist Scott Anesi says the aim is to fully vaccinate all children from first grade onwards before schools reopen.
- He said all active cases are now in stable condition and are “going well.”
- Samoa introduces vaccine requirement for all travelers from American Samoa
It follows a young girl who tested positive for the virus, with 31 more possible cases being investigated.
The announcement prompted its closest neighbor, Samoa, to impose travel restrictions on Wednesday.
From Monday, anyone arriving from American Samoa will be required to show proof of measles vaccination, but if accompanied by a child under the age of two, they must have had at least one vaccination. there is.
Suspected cases include children who were hospitalized but were less than 6 months old and ineligible for vaccination.
“We are closing all schools,” said Scott Anesi, chief epidemiologist for American Samoa.
“We have started the first round of closing child education centers and day care centers.
“We are now moving to all primary schools and completing mass vaccination campaigns.”
Vaccine coverage in US territories is 91%, and health officials are visiting communities to track the spread of the disease.
Ongoing cases are on track
Dr. Anesi said all current cases are “stable and doing well.”
“With measles, the first four to five days are very critical, so the clinical team is evaluating them, and so far everything is going well,” he said.
The goal was to fully vaccinate all schoolchildren from grade 1 onwards for the reopening of schools.
“All schools are required by law to check the immunization status of children enrolled in grades 1 and above.”
Non-essential government services and inter-island ferries were closed, residents were placed under a dawn-to-dusk curfew, and those without vaccinations were told to put red flags in their homes. rice field.
“The main response now is clinical investigation, contact tracing to identify symptomatic and active cases in the community, testing, care, isolation and trying to stem the flow of community transmission.”
Dr. Anesi acknowledged that the public health response has been hampered by the lack of testing in local laboratories. This meant that samples of possible cases had to be sent to Hawaii State Laboratories for analysis.
“We are discussing turnaround times [at the Hawaii State Laboratory ],” He said.
“By the end of this week, we’ll know more about this epidemic.”
highly contagious viral infection
In 2019, Samoa implemented a two-day lockdown to contain the infection. At least 81 dead in measles outbreakmost of whom were children.
Dr. Anesi said they were treating the reaction as if “widespread community transmission would occur.”
“In populations with low vaccination coverage, one person can spread measles to up to 18 people,” he said.
“That’s why we’re closing schools, limiting gatherings, and working with communities.”
According to the World Health Organization, measles is especially deadly among children under the age of five.
Highly contagious viral infections killed millions of people each year before vaccination coverage improved.
American Samoa is home to 50,000 people, including a large US military community.
ABC/AFP
Sources 2/ https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-26/american-samoa-declares-measles-emergency/102268988 The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article |
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