Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan does not rule out the importation of monkeypox into Kazakhstan. At the same time, the risk of widespread transmission of the infection is assessed as low. Sanitary control has been strengthened at the border, and medical organisations are prepared to detect the disease.
WHAT MEASURES THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH HAS TAKEN
According to the Ministry of Health, cases of monkeypox are being recorded in individual countries. Due to international travel, the infection could also reach Kazakhstan.
To prevent the spread of the virus, the agency has strengthened sanitary-quarantine control at the border. Specialists are monitoring the situation in other countries and conducting monitoring of citizens arriving from there.
As specified by the Ministry of Health, all checkpoints are equipped with contactless thermometers. Medical organisations and laboratories are ready to detect the infection. Instructions are also in force on the interaction of services when particularly dangerous diseases are suspected.
The measures are being taken in accordance with Resolution No. 8 of the Chief State Sanitary Doctor of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated 26 August 2024.
WHETHER ANY INFECTED PERSONS HAVE BEEN DETECTED IN KAZAKHSTAN
According to the results of checks on all types of transport, no sick persons or people with suspected particularly dangerous infections were detected.
At the same time, the Ministry of Health did not specify how many people underwent checks or over what period the control was carried out.
HOW MONKEYPOX IS TRANSMITTED
Monkeypox is a viral disease that is transmitted primarily through close physical contact with an infected person.
Infection can also occur through contaminated clothing, bedding and other items, as well as through contact with infected animals.
The main symptoms are elevated temperature, headache and muscle pain, swollen lymph nodes and a skin rash.
HOW TO PROTECT AGAINST INFECTION
The Ministry of Health recommends avoiding close contact with people who have unusual skin rashes, observing personal hygiene and not using the personal belongings of people with suspected infection.
If symptoms appear, especially after travelling abroad, it is necessary to consult a doctor and report the countries visited and possible contacts with infected persons.
CONTEXT
Earlier, the Ministry of Health of Kazakhstan also assessed the risk of the importation of plague from Russia as low. The reason was the death of 28-year-old Darya Shipilova, an employee of the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute, who died on 2 October 2026.
Russian media reported a possible plague infection, however Rospotrebnadzor stated on 4 October that no cases of the disease had been detected. The cause of the woman's death was given as pneumonia of undetermined origin.
After the incident, 197 contact persons were placed under medical observation, of whom 189 were hospitalised. According to official data, the results of laboratory tests were negative.
The Ministry of Health of Kazakhstan reported that sanitary-quarantine control is in operation at the state border, and no passengers with signs of particularly dangerous infections were detected.
FBRK also reported a suspected case of anthrax in Balkhash. According to information from the editorial team's sources, on 28 September 2026 a man with an infected wound on his left hand was admitted to the local hospital. The medical worker indicated a preliminary diagnosis of "anthrax, cutaneous form" as questionable.
However, as FBRK established, laboratory tests did not confirm the disease. The patient was diagnosed with "Bacterial infection, unspecified" and transferred to the surgical department. Tests on 12 contact persons, as well as 9 meat samples and 28 swabs, did not reveal signs of anthrax.
