Flu outbreak in Samoa closes all schools as authorities work to stop spread

Health officials in Samoa are rushing to contain a flu outbreak affecting mostly young children. Photo / Dean Purcell

All schools in Samoa have been ordered to close for at least a week as officials race to contain a flu outbreak that has infected hundreds of children.

The Government announced that all state, independent and church schools were to be closed from Monday, May 1, until at least Friday, May 5.

Ministry of Education officials would be working to issue learning packages for children around the country; as well as making use of online resources and providing lessons on national television channels and radio stations.

Teachers and other staff carrying out duties on school campuses are also being encouraged to wear face masks and to keep a social distance.

At a press conference yesterday, Samoa’s director general of health Dr Aiono Alec Ekeroma said the number of cases of Influenza B reported had tripled in the last few weeks.

In the last week of March, a total of 519 children were identified as cases.

Figures taken in the last week, however, have seen up to 1500 children reporting into paediatrics care with the flu, he said.

The number of confirmed cases of flu have now reached more than 2400 - the majority being young children.

American Samoa also dealing with health emergency

Samoa’s flu outbreak comes as neighbouring American Samoa is also dealing with a health emergency - a measles outbreak.

Schools in the US territory have been closed and children banned from attending public gatherings and church services in a bid to contain the spread of measles.

A public health emergency has been declared in American Samoa and as a result of the measles situation there, Samoan authorities have put a travel restriction in place.

From Monday, anyone travelling from American Samoa to Samoa must be vaccinated against the highly contagious disease and show proof of vaccination.

The new rule includes babies as young as 6 months old.

Samoa’s swift move comes after 83 people died from a measles outbreak, in 2019, that affected thousands of people in the island nation - the majority of them young children.

The majority of deaths were also children.