SUVA, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Samoan government confirmed on Friday one more death in the island nation's measles epidemic, bringing the death toll to 63 since the measles outbreak in mid-October.
According to a government statement, the Samoan Ministry of Health said that of the 63 deaths, most of them were children aged under four, with one fatality reported in the last 24 hours.
The ministry said that a total of 4,357 measles cases have been recorded by the Disease Surveillance Team so far, with 140 cases reported in the last 24 hours.
Currently, a total of 178 people are now hospitalized with measles in the island nation.
Samoa is now in a state of emergency, with all schools closed, a mass vaccination campaign underway and public gatherings in the nation restricted.
On Thursday and Friday, most of the public service and government services in Samoa were closed in order to allow all public servants to assist with the mass vaccination campaign throughout the island nation.
On Friday, Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi said at the launch of the Samoa Measles Appeal that "through this appeal, we shall be able to get support for our national efforts to contain the outbreak and immunize our population to create herd immunity."
The measles outbreak has resulted in a disruption of their health system with a continuing rise in incidence and requirement for quarantine of infected people, he said, adding that this is the time for them to take action and they count on the global solidarity that keeps them united in the face of adversity.
Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that is transmitted via droplets from the nose, mouth or throat of infected people. Death may occur in up to 5-10 percent of infected young children in developing countries.