evidence: Measles outbreak in Samoa kills 72, most of them children The Samoa measles outbreak has not slowed down, prompting the government to extend a state of emergency on Saturday to December 29. Over 5,100 measles cases have been reported since the outbreak, with 74 recorded in a recent 24-hour period alone, according to Samoa's government. [...] The measles vaccine is now mandatory in Samoa. Overwhelmed health providers have been working furiously to vaccinate the population. As of Friday, 93 percent of Samoans had been vaccinated, according to the Samoan government.