The situation with measles in Kazakhstan remains serious, exacerbated by ongoing distrust of vaccination among the population.
In order to combat anti-vaccination sentiments, the Ministry of Health has decided to prohibit children without measles vaccinations from attending kindergartens and schools. Additionally, planned hospitalizations for children will now only be conducted if they have the appropriate vaccinations. This was reported by a correspondent from the media portal Caravan.kz.
The Ministry of Health claims that for the past ten years, a combined vaccine against measles, rubella, and mumps has been used in the country for measles prevention, which is administered to children aged one to six years. Measles is particularly dangerous for unvaccinated children in this age group, although adults can also face serious consequences.
Among the main symptoms of measles are cough, runny nose, and high fever, after which a rash usually appears. These symptoms may seem minor at first glance; however, they can lead to serious complications such as pneumonia, brain inflammation, and even death if the disease progresses.
According to the World Health Organization, approximately 136,000 people die each year from complications caused by measles, the majority of whom are children.
Measles is an extremely contagious disease: according to medical experts, its contagiousness is about 12 times greater than that of influenza, six times greater than that of the Ebola virus, and twice that of COVID-19 and chickenpox. This explains the rapid spread of recent measles outbreaks worldwide, especially among people with low vaccination rates.
In Kazakhstan, the situation with measles continues to be relevant. According to representatives of the Ministry of Health, there has been an increase in the number of cases since November of last year. For example, 317 cases were recorded in November, 1127 in December, and 2048 in January. In the first two weeks of February, 1296 cases were registered. The leaders in the number of cases were Astana, Almaty, and the Zhambyl region.
— Since the beginning of the year, 3,344 cases of measles have been registered in the country. Among them, 72 percent are children under five years old, including 24 percent — children under one year old and 26 percent — aged two to four years. At the same time, 78 percent of those infected were unvaccinated, and more than half of them refused vaccination. Only 14 percent received medical exemptions from vaccination, — noted the Ministry of Health at a conference in Astana dedicated to the epidemiological situation in the country.
In addition to refusals to vaccinate, the Ministry of Health points out that false information is being spread on social media claiming that the vaccination campaign against measles has allegedly been halted in Kazakhstan after so-called "failed injections".
— This is not true. The epidemiological situation with measles is under control, and vaccination continues in accordance with the National Calendar of Preventive Vaccinations of the Republic of Kazakhstan in all regions of the country, — the Ministry of Health refuted. To achieve herd immunity, studies indicate that at least 95 percent of the population, especially among minors, needs to be vaccinated.
