The first half of 2024 has witnessed a massive rise in cases of measles in Poland - by 10 times. Doctors have also reported steady increases in the number of refusals by parents to vaccinate their children in the last two decades.
The COVID pandemic provided a platform for vaccine sceptics, popularly known as "anti-vaxxers", and it appears they are winning the information war against public health authorities and universities.
The director general of UNICEF Poland Renata Bem told the Polish news agency PAP:
"In societies where there are gaps in vaccination protection, measles is the first disease to spread. That is why it is perceived as an indicator of the effectiveness of vaccination programs in general. An irresponsible attitude on the part of parents refusing vaccinations impacts not only their own children but children who cannot, for medical reasons, be vaccinated."
In 2003 in Poland there were 3007 refusals to undertake mandatory vaccinations. In 2023 that number had rocketed to 87 344.
Polish authorities such as Professor Szuster-Ciesielska, an immunology expert from the Marie Curie University in Lublin, has recommended changes that would make the vaccination process easier as well as better information campaigns to counteract widespread misinformation.
Professor Szuster-Ciesielska has noted on X that other countries are experiencing similar rises in preventable diseases:
The new head of the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate (GIS) has also proposed simplifying the process for imposing fines on parents who refuse to vaccinate their children.
Sources: PAP, X, BBC
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