Speaking in a media interview on Monday, Izabela Leszczyna said that while there are outbreaks of measles in various regions, the country has retained its population immunity.
"It cannot be said that Poland has lost population immunity," Leszczyna said in an interview with private broadcaster TVN24, citing epidemiology experts.
"Due to varying vaccination rates across different provinces, there are indeed outbreaks of measles in certain regions," she added.
Data from the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) shows that in 2022, only 91 percent of children received their first dose of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine in Poland, and 77 percent received the second dose, which falls short of the 95 percent threshold needed for herd immunity.
Referring to the rise in measles cases, Leszczyna reported 220 cases in Poland from early 2024 to mid-July, including 100 in the central Mazowieckie province and over 70 in the southwestern Lower Silesia region.
Leszczyna announced plans to focus on educational efforts to reach parents who have not vaccinated their children rather than imposing fines, which she said "are a last resort after other measures are exhausted."
Leszczyna also said that her ministry, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy, has sent vaccination information to educational institutions.
In 2023, Poland recorded more than 87,000 refusals of child vaccinations, nearly 30 times the number from 2003. This decline in vaccination rates contributed to a more than tenfold increase in measles cases in the first half of the year compared to the same period in 2022.
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Source: PAP/TVN24/x.com/@MZ_GOV_PL