Over the past five years, the number of mandatory vaccination evasions has doubled, and since 2010, it has increased more than 21 times. - When I was learning the profession I was told that we would only read about diseases like measles in textbooks. This is not true, because measles happens more and more often in Poland," says Jacek Bujko, a family doctor.
The number of people evading mandatory vaccinations for children is increasing dramatically
Published May 4, 2023 12:39
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Information from the National Institute of Public Health shows that the vaccine refusal situation in Poland is becoming more serious.
- In 2022, the National Institute of Public Health of the National Institute of Public Health registered 72,700 repeals
- Nearly 2,500 refusals have been recorded in the West Pomeranian province.
- The situation is worst in Silesia, where the number of refusals exceeds up to 10,000 annually.
- Vaccine refusals are very radical notifications when the doctor knows that the vaccination will not be given. "Soft evasions" consist of a parent saying that the child is sick or just going on vacation or vacations. And so the doctor can be led around by the nose for years.
The official number of vaccine refusals is the tip of the iceberg
Research released during European Vaccination Week by the National Institute of Public Health is alarming for the entire health sector in Poland.
- In terms of vaccination awareness, we still have a big job to do in Poland. These statistics are frightening and show that the pandemic has not taught us to respect vaccinations, on the contrary - despite the fact that vaccinations during the pandemic saved lives - we still do not trust them," says Dr. Michal Bulsa, president of the Regional Medical Council in Szczecin.
Family doctors point out that vaccination refusals are recorded when a doctor reports the case to the Provincial Sanitary and Epidemiological Station. In reality, missed vaccinations and evasions are far more numerous.
- This problem is much bigger. The system is not airtight because the process of reporting vaccination refusals is very complicated and family doctors often have no way to do the report reliably. The amount of reporting we know about is just the tip of the iceberg. The consequences are serious, because we have already had a case of Diphtheria in Szczecin, we have referrals from measles to hospitals, and these diseases were not supposed to return to Europe," says Dr. Bujko.
In West Pomerania we have 2,500 refusals
- In my opinion, this is a lot. Every person who is not vaccinated and should be is a failure of the system. In theory, every child going to a kindergarten or children's club should be vaccinated for chickenpox. In reality, it's now a voluntary free vaccination, because we have no way to verify whether the child has received the vaccination. We also see more and more evasions that a child can't get vaccinated because he or she is sick, because he or she is going to camp or on vacation, because he or she got vaccinated at a German clinic, etc. - adds Dr. Jacek Bujko. - I regret that the pandemic has taught us little," adds the expert of the Regional Medical Chamber in Szczecin.
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