Do you remember the measles epidemic on Samoa?

Remember Samoa and how anti-vax folks contributed to an epidemic that killed 83 people, mostly children.

Remember that anti-vaccine folks make money pushing propaganda that scares people away from getting vaccinated and protected, which contributes to these kinds of outbreaks and epidemics. Don't let history repeat itself! Remember Samoa indeed!

Seems like some folks need to be reminded about what happened...

Remember the Measles Epidemic on Samoa

So what happened?

Tragically, two young children died very shortly after getting their routine MMR vaccines in July 2018.

The cause?

A mixup between the vaccine diluent and a powerful anesthetic.

Afterwards, even though the MMR vaccine was not the cause of the deaths, vaccination rates dropped in Samoa. In fact, there was a hold on MMR vaccinations for nine months!

Remember when Robert F. Kennedy, Jr visited Samoa about four months before their measles epidemic started?

Visits from anti-vaccine folks certainly didn't help things either.

"The country had already been a target for anti-vaxxers, but the MMR incident provided fertile ground for their messages to take hold."

'These babies should not have died': How the measles outbreak took hold in Samoa

And then, predictably, Samoa had a measles outbreak.

An outbreak that soon triggered an emergency declaration as it turned into an epidemic.

An epidemic that:

lasted three and a half months before it was finally controlled
got over 5,700 people sick
hospitalized 1,868 people
killed 83 people, almost all children under the age of 5 years
cost Samoa at least $22 million

An epidemic that certainly wasn't man-made, unless you count the visit from Robert F. Kennedy, Jr and his contribution to scaring folks away from getting vaccinated and protected.

Remember Samoa when you think about skipping or delaying your vaccines...

Remember the Measles Epidemic on Samoa?

Remember the Measles Epidemic on Samoa

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