Puzzle over killer measles
p. 46 · Read in the full issue
killer measles
By David North
A serious outbreak of measles, which killed five American Samoan chil dren earlier this year continues to concern public health officials.
The epidemic has also adversely affec ted Somoan communities on the Main land United States. In Los Angeles six Samoans died of the disease and another 20 were hospitalised.
A few years ago doctors, thought that
measles (which can be prevented by
inoculation) was about to be wiped out as a public health problem. The number of reported cases was down to a couple of thousand a year in the entire United States; similarly, from 1986 to 1988, American Samoa’s public health officials reported only four cases of measles.
This year, through August 11, the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta reported 248 cases of measles in American Samoa, and 17,397 nation wide. The incidence in American Samoa was much, much higher than elsewhere under the US flag.
The ratios of population to reported cases of measles were: • US, 1 for every 14,080 people; Los Angeles (where it is regarded as an epidemic), 1 for every 3161 people; American Samoa, 1 for every 150
people.
In short, American Samoans are one hundred times more likely to have measles than Americans generally.
In addition to the report of 65 Samoans in Los Angeles having measles, there have been a number of cases in the Seattle area of the State of Washington. Public health authorities there are particularly worried about a large church gathering of 400 Samoans from eight Samoan churches on July 15. They fear the disease may have spread from a carrier at that meeting.
Why such a high incidence of measles among Samoans? Why are there prob lems among Samoans on the island as well as on the Mainland? The epidemiologists at CDC suspect that many Samoans have not been inoculated, or have not been
inoculated properly.
“It’s the classic story many Samoan children have not received vaccinations to help them fight against measles,” said Dr Edgar Reid, Assistant Director for Preventive and Environmental Services at LBJ Hospital, Pago Pago.