The situation with measles in the country continues to be critical, influenced by a high level of distrust towards vaccines.
The Ministry of Health cannot ignore anti-vaxxers and has decided to prohibit children without vaccinations from attending educational institutions. Additionally, planned hospitalizations for children will now only be carried out if vaccination is present. This is detailed by a correspondent from the media portal Caravan.kz.
For the past ten years, Kazakhstan has been using a combined vaccine against measles, rubella, and mumps, which children aged 1 to 6 receive as part of routine immunization. This disease is particularly dangerous for unvaccinated children, although adults can also suffer severely from it.
Among the main symptoms of measles are cough, runny nose, and high fever, after which a rash may appear. These seemingly minor manifestations can lead to serious complications, including pneumonia and brain inflammation, which in some cases can result in death if the disease begins to progress.
Every year, around 136,000 people die from measles and its complications worldwide, the majority of whom are children.
Measles, according to medical professionals, is 12 times more contagious than influenza, 6 times more than the Ebola virus, and 2 times more than COVID-19. Therefore, recent outbreaks of measles around the world are occurring at a high rate, especially in regions with low vaccination coverage.
In Kazakhstan, the incidence and the need to stabilize the situation remain pressing issues. As noted by representatives of the Ministry of Health, there has been an increase in cases since November of last year: from 317 cases in November to 1,127 in December, then 2,048 in January and 1,296 over two weeks in February. The highest number of cases has been registered in Astana, Almaty, and the Zhambyl region.
— Since the beginning of this year, 3,344 cases of measles have been recorded in the country. Of these, 72 percent are children under five years old, including 24 percent of children under one year and 26 percent aged two to four years. Moreover, 78 percent of cases occur among the unvaccinated, and more than half of them have refused vaccination. Only 14 percent have medical contraindications to vaccination, — reported the Ministry of Health of the republic at a conference in Astana dedicated to the epidemiological situation.
Additionally, misinformation is spreading on social media that allegedly "the vaccination campaign against measles is being canceled in Kazakhstan after unsuccessful injections," which, as emphasized by the Ministry of Health, is not true.
— The epidemiological situation regarding measles is being controlled. Vaccination continues as planned in all regions of the country according to the National Vaccination Calendar. However, to form herd immunity, it is necessary for 95 percent of the population, especially children, to be vaccinated, — refuted the information in the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
