The 2019 Tonga measles outbreak began in October 2019 after a squad of Tongan rugby players came back from New Zealand.

Measles has been spreading throughout the Pacific region, with outbreaks in Tonga, Fiji, Australia, Cambodia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Samoa, the Philippines and New Zealand.

[5][6] Previously, measles had been believed to be eradicated in the Asia Pacific Region, with the last reported case in 2014, prior to the outbreak.

[11] The nurses responsible were sentenced to 5 years in prison with manslaughter charges and Samoa began arresting anti-vaccination advocates.

[15] UNICEF sent almost 300,000 vaccines to Vanuatu, Cook Islands, Nauru, Niue, Tokelau and Tuvalu, Samoa, Tonga, and Fiji.