By Staff Writer
The Whooping Cough or Pertussis outbreak in Samoa is called off, 6-months from when it was first declared, on 28 November 2024.
The Acting Director of Health,,Letagaloa Dr. Robert Thomson, made the official announcement this week on Wednesday 14 May 2025.
The outbreak tending follows “…a consistent decline in reported cases , with zero suspected cases in the past four weeks.”
“Since the outbreak was declared, a total of 427 suspected and confirmed cases of Pertussis have been reported,” Acting Director Letagaloa pointed out in his written official announcement.
He continued in his statement….
“The Ministry has observed a steady reduction in case numbers over the past 3 months, a positive indication of improved immunisation coverage and public health response.
“This outcome reflects the collective effort of our health workers, communities and families who took action to protect themselves and others.”
Letagaloa, however, urged the public very strongly not to be complacent even with the disease now currently under control.
He warned that Pertussis”..remains a contagious disease that can resurface if preventative measures are not kept up.
Immunisation is essential, particularly for whooping cough, and must be kept up to date, he underlined.
The Acting Director assured that the Ministry of Health will continue to monitor all vaccine-preventable diseases and will keep the public informed.
“Let us all remain alert, informed, and work together in our efforts to prevent future outbreaks.”
