Poland is losing collective immunity. Measles infections tripled

Due to the decline in vaccinations, an increase in measles infections was recorded in 95 countries in 2024, warns the World Health Organization (WHO). According to the OECD report “Health at a Glance 2025”, Poland is one of the countries with insufficient vaccination coverage against this dangerous infectious disease.

Thanks to vaccinations against measles in the years 2000-2024 by as much as 88%. The number of deaths has decreased worldwide, according to the latest WHO report. It was calculated that 58 million people's lives were saved in this way.

Unfortunately, in 2024, due to a decline in vaccinations, the incidence of measles increased in 95 countries, which threatens to reverse this trend. There were three times more infections compared to 2021. As many as three quarters of them were recorded in Canada and the USA, in countries that were declared measles-free years ago. In the United States, such a declaration was made in 2000.

The World Health Organization warns that measles is caused by the most contagious virus in the worldtransmitted by droplets, just like the flu. This disease is most dangerous for unvaccinated children, but adults can also suffer from it, and the complications can be very serious, such as pneumonia or encephalitis. The only effective prevention is vaccination, which is mandatory and free of charge in Poland.

Unfortunately, the threat of measles will increase in Poland due to the decline in vaccinations. According to the recently published OECD report “Health at a Glance 2025”, only 82% of people in our country are vaccinated. kids. This is lower than the OECD average of 89%, which is still below the safe level. According to WHO, to maintain collective immunity against measles, the vaccination rate among children should be at least 95%. However, only a few OECD countries, such as Hungary, Iceland and South Korea, reach this level.

The measles vaccine used in Poland contains live, weakened viruses. It is administered in two doses: at 13-15 months of age and at 6 years of age.

According to the Szczpeenia.info website, the effectiveness of this measles vaccination after two doses is 98-99%. and lasts until the end of life. “The MMR vaccine is a safe vaccine,” emphasizes the website of the National Institute of Public Health-PZH in Warsaw.

This is confirmed by the World Health Organization. A few days ago, WHO published the latest report on this topic, which included the results of 31 studies published in many countries from January 2010 to August 2025. Once again, it was confirmed that vaccinations are safe and do not increase the risk of so-called diseases. autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Zbigniew Wojtasiński (PAP)

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