evidence: Children in Samoa are latest victims of 2019 outbreaks [...] "The unacceptable number of children killed last year by a wholly preventable disease is proof that measles anywhere is a threat to children everywhere," said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF’s Executive Director. "When children go unvaccinated in significant numbers, entire communities are at risk. We see that even today in remote places like in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where measles has killed more than 4,500 children under the age of five so far this year; or in Samoa, where a rapidly spreading measles outbreak has left many children ill and unable to go to school." [...] The latest region to be affected is Asia Pacific, where measles is being reported even in places where the disease had been eliminated such as Australia, Japan and New Zealand. In Samoa, the Government has declared a state of emergency, and all schools are temporarily closed. According to data released by the Government on December 3, measles had already claimed 55 lives, mostly young children. More than 3,880 cases have been reported among a relatively small population, and new cases are being reported daily. According to estimates from UNICEF and WHO, vaccination coverage in Samoa plummeted from 58 per cent in 2017 to just 31 per cent in 2018, largely due to misinformation and mistrust among parents.