The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is funding the World Health Organization (WHO) to help coordinate international aid for the outbreak of measles in the Independent State of Samoa. USAID is providing $200,000 in disaster assistance to fund the WHO's coordination of, and support for, international efforts to respond to the highly contagious disease.

With this financing, the WHO is helping the Samoan Ministry of Health to coordinate the deployment of emergency medical teams of specially trained international health professionals -- including a delegation of 70 Hawaiian doctors and nurses who were on the ground in Samoa during the week of December 2, 2019 -- to support vaccination across the islands. The WHO is also providing medical supplies, personal protective equipment, and technical assistance to Samoan health workers, and is training Samoans in psychological first aid to assist grieving families and communities affected by this deadly outbreak.

USAID is coordinating our response in Samoa with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which has deployed a two-person technical team to the capital city of Apia to support the Ministry of Health.

For the latest information on USAID's contribution to the outbreak of measles in Samoa, please visit: https://www.usaid.gov/crisis/samoa.