FAST Party visit parents of three babies lost to the measles tragedy

Tuvale & Faaoso Luamanuvae of Laulii village with a photo of their three babies who died in the 2019 measles epidemic.

By Lagi Keresoma

APIA, 15 MARCH 2021: Tuvale Luamanuvae and his wife Faaoso of Lauli’i village could not help but were engulfed in emotion when the FAST party members visited the family today to present gifts donated by the Party’s overseas supporters.

The gifts of food items, clothing, toys and money were in honour of the couples’ three baby children who died in the 2019 measles epidemic.

The family also lost Tuvale’s father a few weeks after the third children died due to reported trauma.

Tuvale Luamanuvae thanked the party for the donation saying it was a lot of help in dealing with their family loss. He also used the opportunity to thank others who donated like former All Backs La’auli Michael Jones and said they have used their donations to build their family a house.

FAST Secretary Va’aaoao Salu Alofipo presented the gifts to the young couple who lost the highest number of babies in the 2019 epidemic.

The party started distributing gifts to over sixty measles victims’ families last Friday and they are heading to Savaii on Tuesday this week.

FAST Leader Fiame Naomi Mataafa comforting an emotional mother receiving a gift for her lost child as Deputy Leader Laaulialemalietoa looks on.

The donations were made by party supporters in New Zealand, Hawaii, United States and Australia. “We have been planning to distribute the donations to the victim’s families for some time,” said party deputy leader Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Polata’ivao.

The official figure of those who died in the 2019 measles epidemic stands at 83 but statistics collected by charity organisations reveal 17 more deaths and excluded 7 measles related deaths yet to be determined by the coroner.

The Government had been rejecting suggestions to establish and inquiry to investigate the causes of the epidemic and referred to such suggestions as beating a dead horse in last month’s parliament session.

There were recommendations to hold a mass vaccination campaign in early 2019 due the low levels of vaccination coverage and protection for the country. But the government left it too late until November 2019 when the death toll and infection was rising rapidly.

When the government finally had the country locked down on 5 and 6 December 2019 to push mandatory vaccination, the death toll stood at 62 and over 3,000 cases.

The resting place for Tuvale and Fa’aoso Luamanuvae’s three children who died in the measles epidemic.