Deadly Measles in Paradise: What Happened in Samoa Is a Warning for Us All
You’re probably hearing about the measles epidemic in Samoa in 2019 and a certain cabinet nominee. Here’s what happened, and why the nominee is being opposed.
In July 2018, two nurses conducted a measles vaccination clinic in Samoa. The measles vaccine comes in a vial as a dry powder. It needs to be reconstituted with sterile saline before being given. Unfortunately, one of the nurses added an anesthetic liquid to a vial of the MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccine. Two children who were administered the vaccine died shortly thereafter. One nurse was convicted of manslaughter, and the other was convicted of obstruction of justice. Both have been sentenced to five years in jail.
As soon as the incident was reported to the Samoan health authorities, vaccination with MMR was halted in the island nation. The health authorities did not begin vaccinating again until December of 2018. By then, public confidence in the vaccine had plummeted. Some say the government bungled their public communication about the incident. That is, the government kept quiet. Instead of telling the public that a mistake had been made with the diluting liquid, not the vaccine itself. This allowed misinformation and…
