eurasia.net Vaccine hesitancy produces a predictable rise in infection rates. Central Asian states have some of the highest rates in the world for the preventable disease of measles, according to fresh data published by the World Health Organization.
Over the past 12 months, Kyrgyzstan has sported the world’s highest rate of measles cases with 1,392 per 1 million population, or about 10,000 instances overall. Tajikistan and Kazakhstan also rank among the top 10 countries with the highest measles rates during the same timeframe. In addition, Georgia and Afghanistan find themselves in the top 10.
In Kyrgyzstan, measles cases have spiked during the winters of both 2024 and this year before receding to near zero during the summer months. The latest available data reported by WHO covers September of this year.
No Central Asian states were reported among the top 10 for rates of rubella, according to WHO data. Russia was the only Eurasian state making the WHO’s rubella ranking, with a rate of three cases per million population, or 404 reported cases over the past 12 months ending in September.