Infectious Disease Epidemics in Kazakhstan in the 1900–1930s and Their Impact on Healthcare Development

Abstract

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, an optimistic belief prevailed worldwide that the protracted struggle against infectious diseases had ended. However, COVID-19 later emerged as a truly global phenomenon with a considerably higher fatality rate than that of other infectious diseases. To date, no country has been unaffected by this virus. COVID-19 has tested the resilience of healthcare systems and the deployment of response forces globally. This circumstance underscores the relevance of assessing past experiences in combating infectious diseases and eradicating certain dangerous infections. This article attempts to uncover the challenges encountered in implementing imperial and Soviet government policies related to epidemic control in Kazakhstan. It analyses the major epidemics in Kazakhstan, measures taken against them, and initial steps toward vaccinating the population. In pre-revolutionary Kazakhstan, infectious disease control was episodic owing to limited resources and insufficient well-trained and experienced doctors, paramedics, and nurses. Despite the post-civil war complexities of rebuilding the economy, the Soviet Union has prioritised the prevention of epidemics. Infectious diseases, such as typhus, typhoid fever, cholera, smallpox, and dysentery that spread via the digestive tract have presented the greatest challenge. The government has funded vaccination programs and adopted sanitation measures to prevent the transmission of these diseases.