U.N. News: Samoa measles outbreak claims 70 lives, majority are children under five
“Seventy people have now died from Samoa’s measles outbreak, U.N. humanitarians confirmed on Tuesday, as the organization released emergency funding to help the authorities step up efforts to eradicate the preventable disease. The development — announced by U.N. emergency relief chief Mark Lowcock — means that $2.6 million will be made available for the small Pacific island, where health providers have been reportedly overwhelmed…” (12/10).

Washington Post: CDC sends experts to fight measles outbreaks in Pacific islands neighboring Samoa
“Federal health officials are sending teams of experts to Pacific island nations in response to measles outbreaks amid concerns that a major outbreak on Samoa could heighten the spread of disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention already deployed two experts to Samoa, where measles has overwhelmed the health system in a country with a population of about 200,000. … This week, in response to requests for help from individual countries and United Nations groups, additional CDC teams are flying to Tonga, Fiji, and American Samoa, where there are ongoing, smaller measles outbreaks that could intensify, CDC officials said…” (Sun, 12/11).