Vaccination: one would like great things....

The Health Minister wonders if HPV vaccination could be organized in schools. And pharmacies. Experts have no doubt - without vaccination in schools it will be difficult to achieve any satisfactory results. PCPs (nota bene, less than one in five dispensaries has joined the vaccination program, which, unfortunately, testifies as much to the conservative instinct of the managers as to the quality of the program) are demanding that we end the chocholy dance and include vaccination against the human papilloma virus in the PSO, which will simplify procedures so much that the loss of the "few zlotys" that dispensaries have from vaccination will even be greeted with relief by doctors.

During last week's "Priorities in Health Care 2024" conference, a lot was said about vaccination, although - it seems - not enough. HPV vaccination is a novelty in Poland - in the form of a population-based program - so it's possible (though one shouldn't) to apply a small concessionary tariff to obvious shortcomings, nay - mistakes. But the Immunization Program, which has been implemented for decades with great success, is no novelty, and the World Health Organization has just called on Poland to improve its measles vaccination rate. This is a disgrace, and all those responsible for the increasing number of vaccination refusals and tolerating a situation in which we have - as a country - no clue about immunization of refugees and immigrants residing in Poland, should publicly beat their breasts (although, in fact, they should simply bear the consequences of obvious negligence, learned helplessness).

According to the National Institute of Public Health - National Institute of Hygiene - National Research Institute (NIZP PZH - PIB), 36 measles cases were reported in Poland in 2023, mainly in the age group up to 10 years old. In January 2024, nine cases were reported. It has been known for years that in the case of measles - due to its enormous infectiousness - the level of immunity, including, above all, the level of vaccination, must be a minimum of 95 percent.

Meanwhile, in 2022, the vaccination rate in Poland with the first dose of MMR among children before the age of 3 was 90.9 percent, a drop - in just three years - of 1.7 percentage points, with this level varying from less than 86 percent to almost 97 percent at the provincial level. The second dose (currently administered before the age of 7) is even worse, at just over 77 percent (from 64.5 to 95 percent at the provincial level).

So why don't we, before decisions are made about changes to HPV vaccination - decisions that are important and eagerly awaited - let's get things in order on an absolutely fundamental level and stop just talking about the problem instead of solving it? And preferably - solve it.