The New York Times

The epidemic has come as the immunization rate against measles has plummeted in Samoa in the years since a medical mistake led to the deaths of two infants and spurred widespread mistrust of vaccinations. In those cases, nurses mistakenly administered a vaccine mixed with an anaesthetic.

The immunization rate dropped to as low as 30 percent last year from about 60 percent in 2016, according to figures from the World Health Organization. By contrast, in Fiji, Tonga and American Samoa, where outbreaks have also been reported, about 90 percent of children have been immunized.

Notes

While the death of two infants may have spurred widespread mistrust of vaccinations, the biggest contributing factor to the vaccination rate dropping to as low as 30% in 2018 is the suspension of the measles vaccination program by the Samoan government from July 2018 to April 2019. The suspension is not mentioned anywhere in the article.

Other Stories that do not mention the MMR vaccine program suspension anywhere in the article:

• Ars Technica, 2019: Measles outbreak spurred by anti-vaxxers shuts down Samoan government
• The Guardian, 2019: 'There are no words': Samoa buries its children as measles outbreak worsens
• BBC, 2019: How a wrong injection helped cause Samoa's measles epidemic
• New York Times, 2019: Samoa Closes Schools as Measles Epidemic Kills at Least 16
• New York Times, 2024: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Views on Vaccination ‘Dangerous,’ Says His Ambassador Cousin

For more information and context

• Did RFK Jr cause a measles outbreak in Samoa?