Samoa measles

It comes as the Samoan government announces a two-day government shut down on Thursday and Friday this week - with most government workers and resources put into an ongoing mass immunisation programme.

At least 53 people have died due to measles in the country since the outbreak began, most of them children.

One of the deceased is 18-month-old Sione. Speaking to RNZ through a translator at the boy's freshly laid grave, his mother Fala'i and father Lupino say he was a "special kid".

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.