Measles situation unstable in Astana, authorities say

1,648 suspected measles cases have been recorded in Astana since March 2023. 639 of them have been confirmed, including 123 cases among adults and 39 – among teenagers aged 15-19, Kazinform News Agency reports citing local sanitary-epidemiological control department.

474 cases were detected among children under 14, which is 74% of the total number of confirmed measles cases. Of them, 383 cases or 80% were registered among children under four, Zhanna Praliyeva, deputy chief of the department, says.

Only 5% of registered patients or 90 have been vaccinated against measles.

The share of unvaccinated patients is 95% or 605, including 42.3% or 256 of those who refused vaccination.

Under the National Immunization Timeline, the vaccination against measles in children is carried out twice – at the age of 1 and 6.

Measles is a highly contagious diseases recorded mostly in preschool organizations, schools, higher education institutions, especially among unvaccinated children, Zhanna Praliyeva says.