Health
1News

Kiwi vaccinologist calls out anti-vax campaigners as leading a 'pro-death movement' in Samoa

November 29, 2019

Helen Petousis-Harris joined TVNZ1’s Breakfast to discuss the epidemic in Samoa, where 39 people have died – mostly children.

A vaccinologist has labelled the anti-vax movement a "pro-death movement" after  six people died in Samoa's measles epidemic in 24 hours , bringing the death toll to 39.

All but four of the 39 deaths have been children. 

Samoa’s health authority is unhappy with the level of vaccine coverage, with those aged between six months and four years old still less than 40 per cent.

New Zealand has been involved in the mass immunisation effort, with a second team of doctors, nurses and support staff heading to Samoa today.

University of Auckland senior lecturer and vaccinologist Helen Petousis-Harris told TVNZ1’s Breakfast that an upward bell curve for the number of measles cases in the country has “still got to play out”.

“Unfortunately, it looks that the cases [will] double by the time it’s over, with a certain degree of confidence,” she said. “We might be halfway.”

Dr Petousis-Harris said without intervention, the measles epidemic will “play out to four-and-a-half to six-and-a-half thousand cases”.

Samoans in New Zealand are rallying in support of loved ones back home.

“Now, I guess the question is, 'How fast and how many people can be vaccinated in this campaign?'”

She called the anti-vax movement’s claims “lies” that are being spread deliberately, calling it a "pro-death movement".

“To be fair, these are lies," she said. "I’ve read the comments and the things that are being said and they’re lies - they’re not true.

Dr Helen Petousis-Harris gave her thoughts about the measles outbreak on TVNZ 1’s Breakfast.

“So I guess, by definition – and a lot of them are being spread deliberately – which I think reinforces that.

“In a sense, it’s a pro-death movement. And in the case of Samoa, I think It’s particularly distressing because we have such a terrible crisis happening where. We’ve got children dying and people are actively trying to stop people becoming vaccinated, and that is what’s going to prevent more deaths.”

Dr Petousis-Harris said, however, that potential criticism that New Zealand hasn’t done enough to prevent the crisis in Samoa is unwarranted.

“That’s not our role, I think,” she said. “Samoa’s a sovereign nation.

“People I know that have gone and people that I’ve talked to have organised this assistance to go over.

“People are there, they’re standing by to assist in any way they possibly can, and I know other nations are, too. So they do have that help over there.”

Dr Scott Wilson is part of a small team of New Zealanders assisting during the outbreak.

She added, however, that that the vaccination effort is a “desperate game” of catch-up that “happened late for this effort to start occurring”.

“You can see we’re well down the track of this epidemic and ultimately, with no more fuel, it’ll burn itself out," she said. “I guess, really now, we’re trying to truncate that as quickly as possible, and there’s only one way to do that.

“Estimates suggest maybe it will play out up to another month, so we’ve got to be pretty quick to try and cut those numbers down.”

SHARE ME

More Stories