Measles death toll climbs in Samoa

There are now 65 measles related deaths in Samoa following two more fatalities over the past day.

• This story was first published by RNZ

The government says there is also now at least 4460 measles cases since the outbreak began in October.

There were 103 new cases recorded in the last 24 hours.

Some 165 people remain hospitalised, including 18 critically ill children and three pregnant women.

The new figures come after a two-day nationwide shutdown to enable vaccination teams to reach households where people still needed to be immunised.

Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi said the teams carried out more than 20,000 vaccinations on Thursday and Friday.