Kazakhstan reports more than 17,000 cases of measles

The country’s health authorities have deployed more than 3,500 hospital beds for those who contracted measles, although the number of cases continues to grow. About 30 children, including newborn infants, were admitted to intensive care units.

What happened? Health Minister Ms. Azhar Giniyat disclosed information on the situation with measles in the country during a cabinet meeting. According to the official, 17,687 measles cases have been reported so far. Children under 14, most of them unvaccinated, accounted for more than 82% of the disease cases.

«Among those who have been admitted to intensive care units are 30 children in serious condition, including 15 infants under one,» the health minister said.

What regions reported the most cases? Although all regions reported cases of measles, the cities of Shymkent (3,016) and Almaty (2,653), and the regions of Jambyl (2,370), Almaty (1,561), Mangystau (1,390), Aktobe (1,362), Kyzylorda (1,133) and Atyrau (1,104) accounted for the vast majority of them.

According to Giniyat, the country’s health system has already deployed more than 3,500 hospital beds for patients who contracted measles, including 2,375 children. By now, the hospital bed occupation rate is 59.5%, so more than 1,000 beds are still available.

What about vaccinations? In order to stabilize the situation with measles the government developed a vaccination plan for more than 600,000 children under six or 84% of those eligible for vaccination.

«We are going to give shots to more than 100,000 children of this age group by the end of this year. In addition, we purchased 1.5 million doses of the measles vaccine. We have already received 500,000 doses, while one million doses are expected to be delivered in December,» she said.

What did the prime minister say? Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov said that the vaccination campaign must be expanded.

«We must prevent the disease from spreading. As we all know, measles can cause serious complications and affect children’s health. This is why not only is the government responsible for necessary actions but the children’s parents are too. These are our children, we have to keep them safe, save their health,» Smailov said during the cabinet meeting.

He also instructed the Ministry of Health and akimats (local executive authorities) to intensify the public awareness campaign about the vital role of vaccination.

«I want every head of executive authorities to keep an eye on this issue and work in conjunction with the Ministry of Health,» he said.

The context. In late October, Kazakhstan reported a spike in measles cases with unvaccinated children accounting for 80% of cases. In early November, all regions of the country reported measles cases, while the cities of Shymkent and Almaty accounted for most of the cases.

The vast majority of those who contracted measles (or their parents) refused to take a shot of the vaccine because of «false information in social media.»