This archive report was first published on 5 December 2019.
As of mid-October, the Samoa measles outbreak had claimed 62 lives, with immunisation rates in the island nation dropping to just over 30 percent before the outbreak.
According to Sheldon Yett, the regional representative for the UN children's agency, online material on platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram has discouraged immunisation, exacerbating the outbreak.
"It's quite clear that they have a corporate responsibility to step up to the plate and make sure that populations, particularly vulnerable populations, get accurate information that's going to keep children alive," Yett told AFP.
The World Health Organisation blamed an anti-vaccine messaging campaign, which Yett said was carried out largely online by overseas-based activists.
"It's quite obvious that there are very loud people on social media making very false claims about vaccines," he said.
"Unfortunately it's found a ready audience in Samoa, where some people are suspicious about the quality of healthcare and may have issues with local (vaccine) providers," Yett added.
He said activists posting anti-vaccine material from wealthy developed countries such as the United States and Australia needed to realise the impact of their actions in developing nations.
"It's devastating, it can be a death sentence for a child here where there's low immunisation and possibly other health issues going on in the background," Yett said from the capital Apia.
Published on December 5, 2019.
