Taylor Winterstein runs a workshop with twin sister Stevie to "break mainstream" medical advice and practices called Break Up With Your Bulls***. Photo / Instagram
Taylor Winterstein runs a workshop with twin sister Stevie to "break mainstream" medical advice and practices called Break Up With Your Bulls***. Photo / Instagram
After 32 measles deaths, Samoa has brought in compulsory vaccination and warned anti-vaxxers but a prominent rugby league WAG has defiantly dubbed the country "NaziSamoa" on Instagram.
Claiming the lives of 32 people - 28 of them children under the age of 4 - Samoa's measles epidemic has closed schools, resulted in the declaration of a state of emergency and the vaccination mandate.
The measles epidemic sweeping the South Pacific nation has now reached more than 2400 people diagnosed with the infectious disease since the outbreak last month.
This figure includes including 243 new cases within the past day, as international warnings were made about the country's dangerously low immunisation rate.
Samoa's state of emergency, declared last week, has seen children banned from public gatherings.
But the mandate for compulsory vaccination of all children and adults has met resistance from anti-vaxxers, notably Taylor Winterstein.
Taylor and Frank Winterstein have two children. Photo / Instagram
The WAG and mother-of-two runs A$200-a-head ($211) workshops on the dangers of vaccinations and has nearly 25,000 Instagram followers, reports news.com.au.
The wife of Samoan international and Penrith second rower, Frank Winterstein, she has likened the vaccination mandate to Nazi Germany, and reposted her opinion again following the child deaths.
This defies a warning by Samoa Attorney-General Lemalu Hermann Retzlaff to anyone discouraging vaccinations, the Samoa Observer reported.
Retzlaff said "[Samoan] Law enforcement is open to receiving notice, complaints, or evidence of any person … discouraging or going as far as preventing our community from vaccination".
Families queue in the Samoan capital of Apia to get vaccinated. Photo / TVNZ
But Winterstein reposted the #NaziSamoa hashtag on her Instagram page.
She wrote: "Remember when I said Samoa was TURNING into Nazi Germany?! ... I will post it here AGAIN ... If you want to be injected with vaccines, GO AHEAD, inject away but UNDERSTAND there are DISTRESSED PARENTS in Samoa who DO NOT want their children injected with this toxic MMR vaccine and are LITERALLY HIDING in their homes to avoid Govt authorities."
In an alarmist paragraph, Winterstein outlined the Samoan government tactics she has likened to Nazi Germany including "ambulances doing drive-bys to find children who are unvaccinated".
She wrote: "Door knocking has begun to vaccinate on the spot … police officers willing to arrest anyone who dares speak up … AND children being forced to get vaccinated".
Taylor Winterstein reposted a friend's comment two days ago as Samoa grapples with a deadly measles epidemic. Photo / Instagram
The measles outbreak is believed to have originated in New Zealand and swept across other Pacific nations, but hit Samoa hard due to its low vaccination rate.
Samoa's Ministry of Health released figures saying two-thirds of its 200,000 residents are vaccinated.
However the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) estimates Samoa's vaccination rate is much lower, between 28 and 40 per cent.
The office of the Samoan Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Malielegaoi, issued a statement saying compulsory vaccination was legally binding.
"Any person that actively discourages or prevents in any way members of the community from receiving their vaccination injection, is hereby warned, to cease immediately, and is similarly warned not to take any further action of that kind," the statement said
It remains unclear how the orders will be enforced, or what the punishment for offenders might be.
The mandate for compulsory vaccination of all children and adults has met resistance from anti-vaxxers, notably Taylor Winterstein. Photo / Instagram
Winterstein was slammed last week, along with Bra Boy Koby Abberton, for her anti-vaxxer stance.
With her twin sister Stevie, who is also non-medically qualified, she runs a A$2000-plus course to "break mainstream" medical advice and practices called "Break Up With Your Bulls***".
Responses to Winterstein's repost yesterday of the "Nazi Samoa" quote, drew some supportive responses and others slamming her.
While @Eliota_Sapolu posted alongside a #NaziSamoa hashtag that his friends were mostly "pro vax", he said they were worried about Samoa's "s**t India vaccine" for measles.
Including a post which read "I rather infect my children with measles" than risk the Indian vaccine, he wrote "People are really going to be hiding their children in the attic".
Latest update: 2,437 measles cases have been reported since the outbreak with 243 recorded in the last 24 hours. To date, 32 measles related deaths have been recorded. Since the Mass Vaccination Campaign on 20 Nov 2019, the Ministry has successfully vaccinated 24,000 individuals. pic.twitter.com/3QPR6WYHSI
"I live in Samoa and I just wanna know how? Where is your proof?," wrote @samariamitchell_xo.
"Because centres, clinics and church halls are packed with parents wanting their kids vaxx?"
And @henriettahunkin, who posted: "Jeepers people read the comments of the people actually IN SAMOA! This is not happening ... Do not feel sorry for the Samoan people, feel sorry for the 22 children already!"
Health authorities say it takes between 10 and 14 days for a vaccine to start working.
