Israel has sent an emergency medical team to help Samoa contain its deadly measles epidemic, Israel’s ambassador to the Pacific nation announced Thursday.
“Israel is sending an emergency medical team in coordination with the WHO to Samoa in response to the Samoan measles outbreak. Israel is committed to supporting our dear friend Samoa in this crisis,” tweeted Ambassador Itzhak Gerberg.
No further details were given on the make up of the team.
Samoa has already received aid to combat the crisis from Australia, New Zealand, France, Britain, China, Norway, Japan, the United States and the UN.
At least 73 people, mostly children, have died since the outbreak began in mid-October, with the crisis blamed on so-called “anti-vaxxers” convincing parents that immunization was dangerous.