Kazakhstan to expand measles immunization coverage

Kazakhstan to expand measles immunization coverage

Kazakhstan is witnessing a decrease in the incidence of 39 infection types, including both coronavirus and rotavirus. As for measles, the country registered over 29,000 cases of infection by the end of last year, with 80 percent affecting children under the age of 14. Nearly 700,000 children under six years old have been vaccinated. Since November 2023, additional vaccination efforts have covered 930,000 people, exceeding 20,000 daily. Kazakh Health Minister Azhar Giniyat reported this information during the first government meeting of the year, highlighting the overall stability of the epidemiological situation in 2023. Due to timely preventive measures, not a single case of the 20 most dangerous infections, including plague, cholera, and poliomyelitis, was recorded in the country. To ensure epidemiological stability this year, a series of measures will be taken in Kazakhstan.

“Local authorities, in collaboration with the Health Ministry, should intensify vaccination efforts against measles and other infections. Special attention should be given to those who missed routine shots. It is crucial to create conditions for vaccination of citizens in hard-to-reach and remote rural areas. In general, the issue of vaccination should be kept under special control by local governors. The country’s Health Ministry, together with local authorities, should secure proper storage and transportation conditions for vaccines, especially in rural areas. The accountability of medical workers for adhering to these conditions should be enhanced,” Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov said.