Kyrgyzstan measles cases skyrocket as officials battle anti-vaccine sentiment
Health officials in Kyrgyzstan report measles is actively circulating in the Bishkek, Chui and Jalal-Abad regions, according to a health ministry Facebook post this week.
As of April 8, 7,864 cases of measles have been registered in Kyrgyzstan, according to the Republican Center for Immunoprophylaxis of the Ministry of Health of the Kyrgyz Republic.
The most cases of infection were detected in Bishkek - 2,599, in the city of Osh - 464, in Osh region - 1,226, in Batken - 214, in Chui - 1,836, in Jalal-Abad - 1,196, in Issyk-Kul - 130, in Talas region - 105 cases and in Naryn region - 94 cases.
The health ministry in Kyrgyzstan calls on parents to get their children vaccinated; however, they battle a large anti-vaccine sentiment fueling the outbreak.
Refusal of routine vaccination against measles and rubella among children and adults remains the main cause of disease increase.
Experts are still monitoring the intensive circulation of the virus in the city. Bishkek, in Chui, and also in Jalal-Abad regions. High growth in these regions is associated with organized foci, where infection occurs among contacts of susceptible persons.
In December 2023, UNICEF said cases of measles in Europe and Central Asia had skyrocketed by 3000 percent in 2023, in comparison to the previous year, and that a backsliding in vaccine coverage was responsible.
“A decrease in vaccine demand – in part fuelled by misinformation and mistrust which worsened during and following the COVID-19 pandemic, disruption to health services and weak primary health care systems are some of the contributing factors,” the U.N. agency said.
The Republican Center for Immunoprophylaxis of the Ministry of Health of the Kyrgyz Republic also posted the following:
It has been proven that there is no connection between vaccinations and autism!⠀
All international specialists have come to a unanimous conclusion, which is confirmed by studies, that vaccinations in general, and vaccination against measles, measles and measles in particular, do not lead to autism.⠀
In 1999, researcher Brent Taylor and colleagues conducted a carefully monitored study investigating the link between measles vaccination, measles and the development of autism.⠀
They checked data on 498 children suffering from autism and autistic disorders. The study selected records of children suffering from autism in North Thames, England, before 1988 (it was added to the UK's Vaccination Calendar in 1988), and after. The scientist has reached the following conclusions:
The percentage of vaccinated children was the same among children suffering from autism and among children not suffering from this disorder.
There were no differences in the age at which autism was diagnosed among vaccinated children and non-vaccinated children.
The time period from vaccination to the first symptoms of autism varied in each case.
These findings confirm that there is no biological link between vaccination and morbidity.
Other studies published by Natalie Smith in the Journal of the American Medical Association and studies published by Hershel Jick in the British Medical Journal have shown that more known cases of autism in children are not related to vaccination.
The largest study to examine the link between vaccinations and autism was reported in the prestigious American edition of The New England Journal of Medicine in November 2002. 537,000 children from Denmark participated in this study, some of whom were vaccinated and some were not. They were tested six years after vaccination and found autism’s incidence was equal among children who were vaccinated and children who were not.
The most effective and safest way to prevent serious diseases is vaccination!