Families seeking MMR vaccination were asked by the government to display a red cloth in front of their homes to alert mobile medical teams traveling the island during the lockdown.

[11] Measles is much more contagious than other infectious diseases such as polio, which only requires an 80% vaccination rate for the population to attain herd immunity.

[12] In 2019 measles broke out across the Pacific region, including in Tonga, Fiji, the Philippines and New Zealand,[13][14][15] but only Samoa suffered casualties, due to its low vaccination rate.

This caused the government to suspend its measles vaccination programme for ten months, despite contrary advice from the World Health Organization (WHO).

[20] From October 1, 2018, through late November 2018, UNICEF provided 115,500 measles vaccines doses to Samoa (including the diluent, syringes and safety boxes), and also shipped Vitamin A supplies.

Before seeking proper medical treatment, some parents first took their children to 'traditional healers' who used machines purchased that claimed to produce "immune-protective" water.

[33] After the outbreak started, anti-vaxxers (including Kennedy[35]) credited the dozens of measles deaths to poverty and malnutrition or to the vaccine, but cited no evidence for these claims.

[17] A state of emergency was declared on 17 November, ordering the closure of all schools, keeping children under 17 away from public events, and making vaccination mandatory.

[42] As part of aid efforts, the Royal New Zealand Air Force transported medical supplies and equipment to Samoa.

[44] Edwin Tamasese, a Samoan anti-vaccination activist with no medical training who was also the chair of a coconut farmers’ collective,[8] was charged with "incitement against a government order".

[8] On 31 December, Prime Minister Tuilaʻepa Saʻilele Malielegaoi addressed the nation; the measles outbreak was a focus of his speech.

The Immunisation Advisory Centre in New Zealand said that the Samoan crisis was a sign that social media needs to deal with dangerous misinformation.

[63] Opposition MP Olo Fiti Vaʻai continued to call for an inquiry and was "apologising on behalf of Parliament and telling the people of Samoa that the government had failed miserably.

"[64][17] Following the ousting of the HRPP in the 2021 Samoan general election, new Health Minister Valasi Toogamaga Tafito announced he was considering an inquiry into the outbreak.