Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov signed a decree allocating funds for the purchase of additional vaccines and medical supplies.
According to the press service of the government, 5.8 billion tenge will be allocated from the department's reserve for immunising children against whooping cough, diphtheria, viral hepatitis A and B, measles, rubella, tetanus, polio, mumps and haemophilus influenzae. It is reported that a total of more than 800,000 unvaccinated children have been identified in Kazakhstan.
“The funds will be directed to the akimats of regions, cities of republican significance and the capital in the form of targeted current transfers for the purchase of 747,720 doses of vaccines and 542,592 units of syringes. At the same time, in the East Kazakhstan region, catch-up vaccination of children is planned using available volumes of drugs”, the statement said.
According to the Ministry of Health, the incidence of measles in Kazakhstan has decreased by 32% over the past 2 months. It became known that as part of the additional mass immunisation, about 1.3 million people were vaccinated, covering 91% of the population subject to vaccination.
In addition, an increase in the incidence of other infections is reported. In 2023, a negative trend was noted for whooping cough, with 91% of those affected being unvaccinated children. Increases also occurred in rubella, mumps and viral hepatitis A.
“To prevent an increase in the incidence of dangerous infections among the population, the head of government, Olzhas Bektenov, instructed the Ministry of Health and akimats to keep the issue of timely immunisation and the epidemiological situation in each region under special control”, the government reported.
Incidentally, public activist and founder of FBRK Kirill Pavlov had warned back in April that one of the main risks of the consequences of the flooding would be the spread of infectious diseases.
“The past floods could worsen the spread of infections, especially in regions with high endemicity. Floods can contribute to the spread of spores and bacteria by carrying them with water flows to new territories and concentrating them in certain places after the water recedes”, the activist wrote.