Event highlights
On 17–18 August, in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, WHO, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health of Kyrgyzstan and with the support of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, conducted an assessment of the country’s response to the recent measles outbreak.
Kyrgyzstan remains among the 10 countries in the WHO European Region with the highest number of reported measles cases, following an outbreak that began in early 2023 and rapidly spread across all regions of the country. In response, the Kyrgyz government, with WHO’s technical support, organized several large-scale supplementary immunization activities. The first 2 rounds, conducted in 2023 and 2024, targeted children aged 9–84 months in 7 regions, achieving vaccination coverage of 85% and 79%, respectively. A third round in 2024, funded by the government and covering Jalal-Abad region, achieved 88% coverage. A fourth round, supported by Gavi and launched in October 2024, is still ongoing, with vaccination coverage reaching 74% by 11 December 2024.
Against this backdrop, the assessment aimed to analyse the actions taken by the national health system to respond to the measles outbreak. It identified immediate and longer-term corrective actions to strengthen preparedness and response; developed an action plan to address key gaps and challenges, and make recommendations for strengthening the measles response; and integrated measles preparedness into wider health security planning.
The assessment focused on the following key areas and functions:
- national planning, response coordination and epidemiological surveillance, including the identification, investigation and monitoring of measles cases;
- risk communication, including community engagement and communication with the public; and
- vaccination, including vaccine procurement, supply and delivery.
Around 40 representatives of national public health organizations from Bishkek and various regions of the country, as well as international health partners, participated in the assessment.
Through document reviews, presentations and facilitated group discussions, participants assessed the actions taken during the outbreak, identified strengths and gaps, and drew lessons to inform future preparedness and response.
The assessment culminated in a set of priority recommendations and a practical action plan aimed at addressing identified gaps and strengthening Kyrgyzstan’s capacity to prevent, detect and respond effectively to measles outbreaks and other vaccine-preventable disease threats.
This event was co-funded by the European Union through the EU4Health programme, and was also supported by Gavi.