The majority of the coffins are for babies and children, reflecting the death toll in Samoa’s measles outbreak: Most of the 63 who have died were younger than 4. Perhaps nothing captures the scale of the tragedy more than the sudden demand for child-size coffins. So far, his family’s business has provided more than 20 coffins for measles victims. Now, some families of the stricken are struggling to afford them for their children, Tuilagi said. Then came the morgue and coffins from abroad and new funeral practices, one of just many shifts in Samoan society in recent decades.

Source: Washington Post December 07, 2019 12:00 UTC