Kazakhstan Reports Significant Decline in Infectious Diseases, Flu Cases

Kazakhstan has seen a notable decrease in several infectious diseases and a reduction in flu cases, according to recent reports from the Sanitary and Epidemiological Control Committee. These positive trends are attributed to ongoing preventive and anti-epidemic measures implemented across the country.

Zero Cases of Key Infectious Diseases in 2025

In 2025, Kazakhstan recorded zero cases of 19 infectious diseases, including plague, diphtheria, poliomyelitis, cholera, typhoid fever, and paratyphoid fever. This achievement highlights the effectiveness of the nation’s public health initiatives.

Reduction in Overall Infection Rates

Beyond the elimination of these specific diseases, there was an overall reduction in 37 infections. Notable declines include:

• Whooping cough: 7.8-fold reduction
• Measles: 6.8-fold reduction
• Viral hepatitis A: 2.5-fold reduction
• Coronavirus infection: 2.2-fold reduction
• Acute intestinal infections: 6 percent reduction

Flu and SARS Activity

While seasonal acute respiratory infections (SARIs) and influenza remain prevalent, Kazakhstan is experiencing a decrease in flu cases. Between September and April each year, the country typically reports 4-5 million cases of SARS and up to 2,000 flu cases. However, flu cases have dropped by 13 percent nationwide compared to the previous season.

Current Flu Strain Breakdown

As of the current 2025-2026 season, 3,027 laboratory-confirmed flu cases have been recorded. The breakdown of flu types is as follows:

• A (H3N2): 2,967 cases
• A (H1N1): 53 cases
• Flu type B: 7 cases

Vaccination Efforts

To date, 2,272,739 people in Kazakhstan have received flu vaccines, representing 11.13 percent of the total population.

SARS Peak and Decline

The SARS season peaked in November, with over one million infections, a significant increase from the 500,000-600,000 cases reported in September and October. Since the November peak, SARS cases have decreased to approximately 600,000 and further to over 400,000 cases by the end of January.

COVID-19 Update

Monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 variant circulation in Kazakhstan has identified three Omicron sub-variants: XFG.3 (75 percent of infections), XFG.3.1, and XFG.6 (12.5 percent each). These sub-variants are reported to be less severe. Only six cases of coronavirus infection have been registered in Kazakhstan since early 2026, a 16.3-fold decrease year-on-year.

COVID-19 Vaccination and Pregnancy

Recent data presented at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine pregnancy meeting indicates that mRNA COVID-19 vaccination shortly before or during pregnancy is not associated with autism or developmental disorders in young children.