Parents of children with SSPE gather at Uzbekistan Health Ministry seeking aid

September 10, 2026 at 09:48 AM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

On September 9, parents of children with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) gathered outside Uzbekistan's Health Ministry in Tashkent. They demanded government provision of medicines, medical care, and financial support for about 350 affected children. The protest follows reports of around 60 SSPE-related deaths, including 8 in Namangan region since the start of the year.

Key Facts

About 350 children in Uzbekistan are currently diagnosed with SSPE, according to one parent.
Around 60 children have died from SSPE, including 8 in Namangan region since the beginning of the year.
SSPE typically develops 2 to 10 years after measles infection, with higher risk for children infected before age 2.
A parent claimed that 230 to 270 children born in 2019 have contracted SSPE, far exceeding the expected rate of 12 to 34 cases per million measles infections.
Uzbekistan's Virology Institute confirmed a wild strain of measles virus that mutated after COVID-19, according to a parent.

The Protest

On September 9, a group of citizens from various regions gathered outside the Health Ministry building in Tashkent. The protesters were parents of children diagnosed with SSPE, a rare and severe complication of measles. They demanded that the government allocate necessary medicines, medical care, and financial support. One father said his first child, born healthy in 2023, contracted measles at two months old and was diagnosed with panencephalitis four months ago at the National Center. He added that the Health Minister personally promised to resolve the problems.

Disease Burden

SSPE is caused by the measles virus, which can remain latent in brain tissue for years before reactivating and damaging brain cells. Symptoms typically appear 2 to 10 years after measles infection, with the highest risk in children infected before age 2. A parent stated that about 350 children in Uzbekistan currently have SSPE, and around 60 have died. In Namangan region alone, 8 children have died from the disease since the start of the year. The disease is mainly observed in children born in 2019 who contracted measles.

Virus Mutation Claims

A parent claimed that the measles virus mutated after COVID-19, and its wild strain was confirmed by Uzbekistan's Virology Institute. He said the virus has become extremely dangerous due to this mutation, leading to repeated outbreaks. According to him, the disease does not occur in people born before 2019, such as in 2010 or the 1970s-80s. He also alleged that official measles statistics are incorrect, citing 230 to 270 SSPE cases among children born in 2019.