Health Ministry clarifies meningitis situation as of June 9
Since the start of 2018, 60 cases of meningococcal infection have been registered in Kazakhstan including 21 cases among children under the age of fourteen. The disease was followed by death in 13 of the cases: 6 cases in Almaty, 4 in Almaty region, 2 in South Kazakhstan, and 1 in Kyzylorda 1.
The Ministry of Health assured that it has the situation under control.
"The source of infection are sick people and 'healthy carriers', i.e. people being infected with meningococcus but displaying no signs nor symptoms," the ministry recalled.
The infection spreads through coughing, sneezing, and talking. It takes 1 to 10 days for the meningococcal infection to cause the disease onset. Moreover, a patient is contagious to others from the first days he/she is infected.