Uzbekistan is working to detect subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE), a severe complication of measles, at an early stage and to provide specialized care to patients, the Ministry of Health said.

According to the World Health Organization, SSPE can develop years later in 4 to 11 of every 100,000 children who contract measles.

In a video statement, the ministry said funding is being allocated under a Nov. 3, 2025 presidential resolution to provide affected children with specialized medicines and food products free of charge. Hospitals have expanded their capacity to diagnose and treat the disease and created the necessary facilities.

Specialists said neurologists, virologists and immunologists have developed treatment and rehabilitation protocols, which are now used in 13 provinces in addition to the National Children's Medical Center.

Since early 2026, the center has also used an Ommaya reservoir, a device that delivers medication directly to the brain.

"Since the beginning of the year, we have implemented one of the world's recognized modern treatment methods, the Ommaya reservoir, which delivers drugs directly to the brain," a specialist at the center said.

Inpatient beds for affected children have been set up at the National Children's Medical Center and at multidisciplinary children's medical centers in the provinces, where patients are receiving care.

The ministry said research is also under way on rapid and accurate diagnosis of the virus that causes the disease. Diagnostic facilities have been set up in Tashkent and the provinces, and specialists are being trained.

Over the past year, training courses have been held for doctors working in primary care and hospitals across the provinces. Specialists at the National Children's Medical Center are also advising patients via telemedicine.

Specialists stressed that the disease is very difficult to treat and that timely measles vaccination is the key to prevention.

"This disease is extremely hard to treat, but very easy to prevent. That is why we urge parents to be careful and vigilant and to have their children vaccinated against measles on time," a specialist said.

It was reported earlier that a world-class cell technology center would be built in Uzbekistan.