SUVA, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- Samoa confirmed on Friday 20 measles-related deaths in the island nation since the outbreak of measles last month.
According to a government statement on Friday, Samoa's Ministry of Health said that a total of 1,644 measles cases have been recorded to the Disease Surveillance Team so far, with 202 cases recorded in the last 24 hours.
About 89 percent of measles cases are in the island of Upolu, where the Samoan capital of Apia is located in. About 92 percent of current measles admissions are children, including 11 ill children in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
There are currently 147 measles cases who are in-patients at all health facilities.
Currently, the South Pacific island nation is in a state of emergency, with all schools closed, a mass vaccination campaign underway and public gatherings in the nation restricted.
In Fiji, the government confirmed on Friday that a total of 10 confirmed cases of measles since have been reported in the nation since the last update on Nov. 20, 2019.
Fiji's Health Ministry has an interim shortage of the measles vaccine as additional stocks are expected to arrive soon.
Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that is transmitted via droplets from the nose, mouth or throat of infected persons. Death may occur in up to 5-10 percent of infected young children in developing countries.
