MEASLES CRISIS: Those who should know failed to heed the Red Flag Warnings

A young boy on his sisters grave, one of the 83 who lost their lives to the 2019 measles epidemic.

By Lagi Keresoma

APIA, SAMOA -11 FEBRUARY 2021: The loss of 83 lives to the measles epidemic in 2019 could have been avoided if the health experts heeded the red flag warning signs provided to Samoa and other Pacific Islands at the time.

This was expressed by the Independent Member of Parliament, Fiamē Naomi Mata’afa during her final speech in Parliament early this week.

Fiamē made reference to two international health meetings attended by the Health Director General Leausa Dr. Take Naseri where the warning on low measles immunisation rate in some Pacific Islands including Samoa was discussed.

The warnings were given at a regional meeting March 2019 by WHO and UNICEF about the low measles coverage especially for Samoa at 30% of the population.

The same warning was given in another meeting in Fiji in April attended by the Health CEO when measles broke out in the Philippines.

Four brothers carrying their younger sisters coffin, one of the victims of the measles epidemic.

Red Flag Warnings
The same warning was again given during the Health Ministers meeting in Tahiti in August the same year, and a month after, a Samoan from Auckland showed signs of measles after visiting Samoa and followed by a measles outbreak in Auckland.

Directing her speech towards the Measles Report already tabled in Parliament but yet to be discussed; Fiamē said the report failed to express the failure of “those who should know” to act on the warnings flagged.

The red flags Fiamē referred to were also noted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations International Children Education Fund (UNICEF) when they informed Samoa that her immunization rate was very low.

Samoa only confirmed the measles outbreak on 16 October 2019 when a baby died and seven confirmed cases, all were not immunised against measles.

With Samoa’s very low measles vaccination coverage – 30% compared to Fiji and Tonga at 90% of their populations, Samoa’s vulnerability was well exposed with the rapid spread of the epidemic.

When a State of Emergency was declared 15 November 2019, six babes had died and over 700 cases recorded.

When the national lockdown was enforced for the national immunisation drive on 5 & 6 December, 63 had died – mostly babies under 4 years old and five thousand cases.

In Parliament on Monday, the Minister of Health Faimalōtoa Kika Stowers responded to Fiame’s comments saying the Ministry continued to inform the country about immunisation and that the Government executed its action plan and have already responded to the issues raised.

Faimalōtoa said the Government and country have learnt a lot from the measles crisis and the reasons why it happened.

Tilomai Tuivale of Lauli’i village who lost three children to the epidemic.

She referred to some parents’ refusal to have their children vaccinated following the deaths of two babies who were injected with the wrongly mixed vaccine at the Safotu hospital in 2018. Other parents also preferred the traditional healers over the medical care at the hospitals.

Prime Minister Tuilaepa Lupesoliai Sailele Malielegaoi also took the floor and expressed his disappointment with Fiamē, who as a former Deputy Prime Minister knew what was being done.

Tuilaepa then swiftly switched to the “red flags” or “red cloths” that were tied in-front of family houses to indicate that there were family members that need be immunised during the mass vaccination drive as the epidemic was rapidly spreading.

He compared the measles issue to “beating a dead horse” and that everything was in the Measles Report already tabled in Parliament although yet to be discussed.

Fiamē emphasized that her main point was that the people who should have recognised the “red flags” didn’t. She pointed to the Director General, the Minister and Government.

Government sees no need for Enquiry into Measles Epidemic
Despite various calls for an investigation into the measles epidemic; both the Prime Minister and the Minister of Health insist there is no need for such an investigation as everything that needs to be known is already known.

When the Prime Minister was invited as guest speaker at the regional conference on Anti-Corruption in Kiribati 4 February 2020, he insisted that investigations through Commissions of Enquiry are part and parcel of Samoa’s drive for accountability and transparency.

Tuilaepa however was not happy when put on a spot when a Vanuatu TV journalist asked him why there was no investigation into the measles epidemic given his declared drive for accountability and transparency through Commissions of Inquiry.

Following the meetings morning break, the media was not allowed back into the following session.

The red flags hanging outside the family homes indicating there were people that need be immunized. It was already too late for many who died.