Michael Faatau 40, Toamua

The Ministry of Health response is slow because measles have spreading fast and it is getting spread so fast many people are getting it. The Ministry of Health should have a team going out to the village to do vaccinations for measles. I have heard that people who are getting affected by measles did not get vaccinated. 

Samuels Iapoko, 52, Nu’u-Fou

The Ministry of Health response is very late, they should have looked far when trying to respond to the outbreak and alert the public on the virus in awareness campaigns. They should let the public know what measles is and what their response is because it is spreading fast throughout the country. If the measles vaccine was administered it would not spread fast like this to the villages, the Ministry should reach out to the villages, especially families who live far from the main hospital. Just like what they did with the other health challenges. 

 Mataafa Mona Sila, 40, Falelatai

To be honest I don’t know how this measles can spread and what the response of the Ministry of Health is with its vaccination programme. It is sad that people have to come all the way to the main hospital in Apia. Some people or families might not be able to come to the hospital because they live far or they want to prevent themselves from getting infected. But having a team from the Ministry of Health to go back at the villages to do there vaccine will be great, as it will enable other families who cannot make their way to the hospital to get vaccinated. 

Vaialisi Moe, 24, Vaitele fou

The Ministry of Health's response to the measles outbreak is quick, but families are careless because once they know their kids have measles symptoms they should see a doctor and not wait until the last minute. But the Ministry of Health should have a team that can go to the villages to vaccinate families who live far from Apia and cannot go to the hospital. Parents should also stop their children going to dirty places and try to keep them healthy. 

Seina Logovii, 44, Vaiusu uta

When I went to the hospital I knew that the Ministry of Health response was late because they said all people should go to the hospital to get an injection for measles. But for me the Ministry of Health should put together a team and send them to the village rollout the vaccination programme because the disease is spreading fast. Some people live far from the hospital and they don't have access to vaccines. The Ministry should dispatch a group of nurses, like what they did when they ran a vaccination programme for worms. 

Ao A'eau, 60, Vaitele fou

To me right now the response of the Ministry of Health is fast but measles is still spreading, even with the vaccination programme underway, it is not going to stop the disease from spreading. Doctors are administering vaccines but with a population of more than a hundred people, they can’t help a lot of people. For me I think the Ministry of Health should dispatch a vaccines team to the villages to administer the vaccines as a lot of people cannot travel to Apia.