Effective vaccines against measles have existed for decades.

Among them is the MMR vaccine, a single jab and booster that protects against measles, mumps and rubella.

But last year, it became clear that, even in a small nation like Samoa, eradicating a preventable disease like measles was not simple at all.

Around the world, people die every year from outbreaks that vaccines could have quashed, from polio in Pakistan to human papillomavirus infections in Japan.

As the world grapples with the novel coronavirus pandemic and races to develop a vaccine to fight it, these outbreaks hold lessons for what lies head.

“Vaccines don’t save lives,” said Walter Orenstein, an associate director of the Emory Vaccine Center.

Among those confirmed to be infected, the death rate is 1.46 percent, deadlier than most estimates for covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

“Most Samoans use traditional as well as scientific medicine and because of the confused response by the government to the measles epidemic, many were going to and fro in both systems,” said Penelope Schoeffel, a sociologist at the National University of Samoa.

Mcfarland-Seumanu said that even as the deaths racked up, she spoke to parents who were scared of vaccines, citing rumors they read on Facebook.

A polio vaccine was first discovered 70 years ago.

There is an effective vaccine for human papillomavirus (HPV), but the Japanese government avoided promoting its use for years, putting the lives of thousands of women at risk.

But just a few months after it was added to the country’s official vaccination program in 2013, media reports alleged shocking side effects, and the government pulled its backing.

But the government withdrew proactive recommendations for it, in part because of fear of legal repercussions, and the vaccination rate dropped below 1 percent.

Following a lengthy political battle, a new HPV vaccine is expected to be approved by the government soon and a vaccination push may follow.

Globally, more than a dozen covid-19 vaccines have reached clinical evaluation already, with more than 100 others in the works.

“It’s a hard time to be an anti-vaccination activist right now,” said Riko Muranaka, a Japanese doctor and journalist who tracks HPV vaccine misinformation.

And the coronavirus pandemic is disrupting vaccination efforts, not aiding them.

Some advocates worry that the spread of coronavirus misinformation could fuel anti-vaccination sentiment.

“Global narratives of vaccine development for covid-19 may contribute to an upsurge in anti-vax messages, including in Pakistan,” said Rana Muhammad Safdar, coordinator for Pakistan’s polio program.

“If and when we get a covid-19 vaccine, we will see claims about the vaccine being dangerous and ineffective join this story, regardless of what the evidence says,” said Julie Leask, a professor at the University of Sydney and an expert on vaccinations.

Polls show a significant minority of Americans say they would not get a coronavirus vaccine.

Tamasese, the businessman arrested last year over allegations that he spread misinformation, said in an email that neither the measles outbreak nor the coronavirus pandemic have changed his mind