Private clinic in Samoa probed over unauthorised measles vaccination

A private clinic in Samoa run by three former nurses is under investigation for allegedly providing measles vaccination without a formal agreement with the Ministry of Health.

This comes at the start of a second week of mass vaccination on the biggest island, Savaii, where people go to hospitals for the immunisation shots.

The Director General of Health, Leausa Dr Take Naseri, said a second private clinic which provided vaccination had done so after being approved by the previous National Health Services.

He said that clinic was not part of the investigation but was awaiting re-evaluation by UNICEF and the Ministry of Health to restart administration of measles vaccination.

The ministry's order from last week that no private clinic is allowed to provide the measles vaccination is still in effect.

Two more children have died of measles, bringing the toll of the outbreak to 24.