Samoa arrests anti-vaxxer amid measles outbreak

Samoan law enforcement officials on Friday arrested a person who is an “alleged anti-vaxxer,” charging them with incitement against a government vaccination order.

In a Friday statement shared on Facebook, the government of Samoa posted that a “concerned member of the public” filed a complaint with the attorney general that was later referred to police, alleging that the individual who was arrested “publicly stated with reference to the current vaccination drive ‘I’ll be here to mop up your mess. Enjoy your killing spree.'”

The Samoan government last month officially declared a state of emergency over a deadly measles outbreak that has already killed 62 people, according to CNN, and it began a mass vaccination campaign. More than 4,200 measles cases have been reported in recent weeks.

{mosads} The attorney general’s office opposed bail for the individual “for risk of reoffending.” The person has been previously warned by law enforcement officials, according to the Friday statement.

“We reiterate that while the goal is to keep the peace, we will advise police to act when we have no choice,” the statement said. 

“That’s another major reason now for the increasing number of deaths,” government spokesman Afamasaga Rico Tupai said in a Wednesday statement. “Because a lot of people are keeping their people at home and keeping their children at home, and the last result is when they see there’s nothing else, and they rush to the hospital.

“The law is cracking down on those that are delaying the treatment of the children,” he continued. 

Authorities say that misinformation about vaccines shared online has been a major factor in the spread of the disease. The Samoan government’s official Facebook page has been overwhelmed by anti-vaccine activists posting misinformation about vaccinations, CNN reported.