Kostanay records 16-fold increase in measles cases
Kostanay recorded 167 measles cases in the first half of 2026, up from just 10 cases during the same period last year. Health officials attribute the sharp increase primarily to vaccine refusals, Qazinform News Agency reports.
According to the department of sanitary and epidemiological control, 167 measles cases were registered in the city during the first six months of the year, compared to 10 cases in the corresponding period of 2025.
The department said vaccine refusal remains the leading cause of the surge in infections. Of the total cases, 65 patients (38.9%) had not been vaccinated because immunization was refused. Another 57 cases (34.1%) were recorded among children under one year of age who had not yet reached the scheduled age for vaccination.
Another 19 patients (11.3%) had an unknown vaccination status, 15 (8.9%) were exempt from vaccination for medical reasons, while 11 (6.5%) had previously been vaccinated against measles.
Health officials also described parental refusal of vaccination as one of the most pressing public health challenges. During the first half of the year, 795 refusals of routine childhood vaccinations for children under the age of 14 were recorded.
Of these, 758 refusals (95.3%) were based on parents' personal beliefs. Another 24 cases (3%) were linked to distrust of the vaccine used, nine (1.1%) to religious beliefs, and four (0.5%) to negative information disseminated by the media.
Earlier Qazinform News Agency reported on how many people are currently waiting for an organ transplant in Kazakhstan.
