Ministry of Health Director General Aiono Dr Alec Ekeroma has labelled the possible appointment of Robert F Kennedy Junior as the head of the United States health services as a disaster for public health.

Kennedy is US President Donald Trump's pick to be health secretary. He was questioned in senate hearings over his time in Samoa during the outbreak, which killed 83 people. He was in Samoa in June 2019 and is known for his anti-vaccination stance.

Kennedy claimed tissue samples sent to New Zealand did not show any trace of the virus.

"Eighty-three people died. When tissue samples were sent to New Zealand, most of those people did not have measles, we do not know what was killing them," he said.

Aiono has told overseas media that Kennedy’s statement to the senate was a lie.

“That's a complete lie. There was only one post-mortem - no tissues were sent to New Zealand for the rest of the deaths in Samoa, because it was not necessary because it was obvious these people died from measles,” Aiono told media.

"It was obvious these people died from measles, they are clinical measles, and it looked like measles that killed them."

Aiono said he had talked to the former director-general of health serving at the time, who said no tissue samples were sent.

"It was measles, the diagnosis was made, and there were many international experts that were on the ground at the time, including medical officers from New Zealand and Australia. They were all here, and they can vouch it was measles that killed these people," he said.

The deputy director-general for the public health agency at New Zealand’s Ministry of Health Andrew Old confirmed to RNZ that blood samples or swabs were sent to Australia and New Zealand early during the outbreak confirming the virus.

"The samples confirmed the Samoa outbreak had the same measles strain as New Zealand - which had its own outbreak at the time," he told RNZ.

“The ministry could not find any trace of tissue samples being sent to New Zealand.”

Aiono did not hold back criticism about Kennedy's potential appointment as head of the US Department of Health and Human Services.

"I think this would be a disaster for public health in the world," Aiono said.

"I think it will be a disaster for everyone - including Samoa.

"To have an anti-vaxxer at the top of the United States health system is not good for anyone."

Kennedy told the senate hearing that his visit to Samoa months before the outbreak in June 2019, had nothing to do with vaccines.

Aiono and New Zealand vaccinologist Helen Petousis-Harris told Morning Report that while Kennedy did not give lectures on the topic, he did meet with anti-vaccine campaigners in the country and take pictures with them.