Immunization Campaign Kicks Off in Kazakhstan During European Immunization Week 2025
🌌 ASTANA, KAZAKHSTAN - It's time for the European Immunization Week (EIW)! From April 27 to May 3, we're focusing on the theme: "Immunization for All is Humanly Possible." according to the Kazakh Health Ministry. 💉
📸 Credit: ecdc.europa.eu
This campaign stresses the life-saving importance of immunization. Since 1996, polio has been non-existent in Kazakhstan, and diphtheria since 2009, thanks to widespread immunization efforts. Cases of mumps have plummeted over 100 times, hepatitis A by 32 times, hepatitis B by 92 times, and rubella by an astounding 2,000 times.
Currently, Kazakhstan's national immunization program shields against 21 infections. However, there's been an issue with 75% of measles cases and 87% of whooping cough cases arising among children who skipped routine vaccinations.
The HPV vaccination for girls between 11-13 has been added to the national vaccination schedule since 2024. As of now, 133,169 girls have received the first dose, and 21,194 have completed both doses.
EIW is marked annually across the WHO European Region to highlight the significance of achieving high and equitable vaccination coverage in every community, preventing outbreaks, and safeguarding future generations.
Recent data reveals that inadequate immunization rates create significant problems. Measles vaccination coverage falls below the 80% threshold, resulting in substantial outbreaks. The primary challenges are vaccine hesitancy driven by misinformation and suboptimal coverage just barely scraping the 95% herd immunity threshold.
Whooping cough (Pertussis) coverage may face similar issues as measles, with socioeconomic barriers and healthcare access gaps contributing to these troubles. HPV vaccine coverage information is not available, but it may suffer from tracking difficulties and resource limitations, likely amplified by cultural barriers.
Other cross-cutting barriers include infrastructure gaps, behavioral factors, and global shortfalls. As many as 1 in 4 unregistered children face challenges getting follow-up doses due to lacking digital identity systems. Health worker communication gaps and parental safety concerns have been noted, as observed in Azerbaijan’s MMR efforts. Approximately 67 million children worldwide miss essential vaccines yearly, with Kazakhstan likely contributing to this figure.
Remedial strategies include community engagement, health worker training, and public education to combat misinformation. Success stories, like Azerbaijan’s 24% refusal reduction, demonstrate the potential effectiveness of these measures. Let's work together for a healthier future! 🌱💡✨
- During the European Immunization Week (EIW) in Kazakhstan, the focus is on the theme: "Immunization for All is Humanly Possible."
- Since 1996, Kazakhstan has been polio-free and diphtheria-free since 2009, due to widespread immunization efforts.
- The HPV vaccination for girls between 11-13 has been added to Kazakhstan's national immunization schedule since 2024.
- EIW highlights the importance of achieving high and equitable vaccination coverage in every community to prevent outbreaks and protect future generations.
- Inadequate immunization rates create significant problems, such as measles outbreaks due to falling coverage below the 80% threshold.
- Remedial strategies for improving vaccination rates include community engagement, health worker training, public education, and combating misinformation.
