Measles epidemic sweeping Samoa brings death toll to 80

An 80th person is confirmed to have died in the last 24 hours in the measles epidemic sweeping Samoa.

According to the Samoan government's emergency operation centre, there have been 5600 cases reported since the outbreak in the island nation, which has a population under 200,000.

Radio NZ reports the latest person to lose their life was 43 years old.

Twenty-three new cases of measles have been recorded in the past 24 hours, and nine people are still considered to be critically ill in hospital, eight of them children.

As of Christmas Eve, some 95% of Samoa's eligible population have been vaccinated against measles.