2019 Samoa measles outbreak
The 2019 Samoa measles outbreak began in September 2019. As of 6 January 2020, there were over 5,700 cases of measles and 83 deaths, out of a Samoan population of 200,874. Over three per cent of the population were infected. The cause of the outbreak was attributed to decreased vaccination rates, from 74% in 2017 to 31–34% in 2018, even though nearby islands had rates near 99%. A state of emergency was declared on 17 November, ordering the closure of all schools, keeping children under 17 away from public events, and vaccination became mandatory. On 2 December 2019, the government imposed a curfew and cancelled all Christmas celebrations and public gatherings. Families seeking MMR vaccination were asked by the government to display an item of red cloth in front of their homes so as to alert mobile medical teams traveling the island during the lockdown. Some added messages like "Help!" or "I want to live!". On 5 and 6 December, the government shut down everything to bring civil servants over to the vaccination campaign. This curfew was lifted on 7 December when the government estimated that the vaccination program had reached 90% of the population. On 14 December, the state