Police shut down alternative healer claiming to help Samoan measles victims with water

Police in Samoa have shut down the business belonging to an alternative healer who claimed to be helping measles victims with water.

It comes as a Kiwi nurse from Nelson says such practices can no longer be tolerated when the new death toll has just reached 42.

When Newshub visited Fritz Alai'asa's clinic on Thursday there were large numbers of visibly unwell babies and young people - and large gatherings are banned under state of emergency rules.  

Newshub laid a complaint about Alai'asa breaching the state of emergency rules. Although, he seemed unaware of what the rules stated.

"Like I tell you, I'm just helping my people," he told Newshub.

A nurse practitioner with 30 years experience says such practices can't be tolerated during a crisis like this. 

"I think we have to stress to people that this is actually dangerous. People are dying because of these cultural ways," Red Cross nurse practitioner Andrea Chapman told Newshub.

She and her team are focused on medicine and saving lives, going to people's homes to ensure they are vaccinated.

"It's a huge disaster. It's critical really that we all help to do something about it," she said.

For Andrea Chapman and her team, the job is to get to Tuanai Village about 40 minutes out of Apia.

Vaccinations begin in an old church building before the team moves on to those who are even harder to reach.

Mobile teams are critical to getting to the most isolated, rural communities. Many simply don't have transport to get to the main clinics so, the vaccinations are coming to them.

Forty-two 42 are dead in this crisis. But then there are also those who are not part of official death toll statistics.

"The midwife has come across cases of women that are pregnant and have severe measles and are so ill with it that they're miscarrying," said Chapman.

It's about ensuring the right messages get out in the hope there will be a reprieve for staff and families in this emergency.