In Almaty, a major city in Kazakhstan, cases of chickenpox among children are sharply increasing. This was reported by Zamin.uz.
According to official data, in the past nine months of this year, the number of cases has increased by nearly 39 percent compared to last year. Yerjan Seralin, director of the Children's Infectious Diseases Hospital, stated that during this period, 183 children were hospitalized.
Forty percent of them experienced severe complications. Chickenpox is a viral disease transmitted through the air, characterized by itching and the appearance of blisters on the body.
It mainly spreads among children and negatively affects the respiratory and nervous systems. Between October 1 and 14, 14 children were admitted to the intensive care unit with cases of bilateral pneumonia, seizures, and respiratory failure.
As emphasized by doctor Yerjan Seralin, many children are brought to the hospital at a late stage of the disease. Parents often seek medical help on the 8th to 10th day of illness, which complicates treatment.
Currently, chickenpox is mostly detected in preschool and early primary school-aged children, accounting for 61.7 percent of cases in this group. Vaccination against chickenpox is not yet included in the National Immunization Schedule, so most children develop immunity only by going through the disease.
This issue was discussed at a meeting led by Marat Pashimov, head of the Almaty City Health Department. Asal Qoliqova, deputy head of the Sanitary and Epidemiological Control Department, emphasized the possibility of increasing vaccination rates among children and adolescents.
According to her, measures need to be strengthened to encourage the population to get vaccinated. It was also found that some private clinics do not fully fulfill their obligations under the state program for providing free medical care, so efforts to ensure their active participation will be intensified.
Experts remind that chickenpox may not seem like a mild illness and that its complications can be serious. Therefore, if fever, rashes, and signs of illness appear, it is recommended to take the child to a doctor immediately.
This is important for preventing the disease and reducing its complications.
