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, mostly in the age group up to ten years old. However, given the high infectivity of measles, once the virus emerges in a community, it can spread there very quickly.
Measles can be potentially dangerous, but it can be completely prevented by vaccination. To be able to prevent the spread of measles after contact with the virus, the immunity of the population must be at least 95%. In every country there are groups of people, and not only among young children, but also among adolescents and adults, who have not been vaccinated or have not received enough doses of the vaccine. And it is the groups of unvaccinated people that are the cause of epidemic outbreaks after the virus has appeared in a community.
In 2022, the vaccination rate in Poland with the first dose of the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR1) vaccine among children before the age of 3 was 90.9%. This represents a decrease of 1.7 percentage points compared to 2019. In 16 provinces in the country, the vaccination rate ranged from 85.7% to 96.9%. The immunization rate with the second dose (MMR2), which is important for achieving population immunity in children before the age of 7, was 77.4% and ranged from 64.5% to 95% in individual provinces. The data indicate that there are provinces with suboptimal vaccination rates and immunity gaps where epidemic outbreaks are a real threat.
Delaying vaccination increases the risk of contracting a virus that causes a potentially fatal disease. It is essential to take immediate action to complete missed doses and achieve optimal vaccination rates to stop virus transmission and prevent outbreaks. Identifying susceptible groups and communities and understanding the specific barriers faced by unvaccinated and under-vaccinated populations will be key to ensuring tailored local policies and strategies for vaccination programs. While measles vaccination is the most urgent priority, it is also necessary to address missed doses of other vaccines included in the national immunization program.
The WHO Country Office in Poland, the WHO Regional Office for Europe and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are working closely with the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate (GIS) and NIZP-PZH-PIB to support Poland in achieving the elimination of measles, as well as rubella. Currently, the focus is on developing a national action plan for the elimination of measles and rubella, as well as a national measles outbreak response plan. These plans are intended to both serve the national policy goals of achieving and maintaining the goal of measles elimination and to provide operational guidance for responding to a measles outbreak.
Sources:
NIZP-PZH-PIB, Information on Incidence of Infectious Diseases and Poisons in Poland in 2023, https://wwwold.pzh.gov.pl/oldpage/epimeld/2023/index_mp.html
NIZP-PZH-PIB, Immunization in Poland, https://wwwold.pzh.gov.pl/oldpage/epimeld/2022/Sz_2022.pdf
WHO, Recommended Actions to Implement the National Action Plan for the Elimination of Measles and Rubella and the National Measles Outbreak Response Plan.
By Dr. Nino Berdzuli, WHO Representative and Director of the World Health Organization Office in Poland, WHO Special Envoy for Actions for Ukrainian Refugees in Host Countries
