Immigrants from Western Samoa
settled on our shaky isles after
World War II for work opportunities
children’s education, earnings to
send home to low income families.
They miss their families, island life,
so fly home on annual leave to visit.
Recently two of those visiting brought
to their island home rampant measles
recognisable only after the infectious
phase has passed as the rash appears.
It is surging through the island folk
felling babies, young children, as a
sparsely vaccinated population calls
us for more vaccination doses, bring
children to the vaccination clinics ….
…. and buries the epidemic’s
infant victims.
lifecameos 
Oh, that is tragic. Peaople forget that measles is a killer. It also causes blindness and it the reason that I’m badly short-sighted.
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Samoa has never had many cases of measles. To make matters worse it is a very conservative society, and many people especially from less urban areas are going to the traditional healers with their sick children, who of course die of measles. The government has had to issue an edict – all Samoans must get vaccinated or face very harsh penalties. And an antivaxxer turned up in Samoa as well to give public speeches. She got banned and sent packing. Now the Tongan football team has returned home to Tonga, and it looks like the same situation will happen again.
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