Thousands of Polish parents shun vaccines for their kids: report

Officials are expected to release data for 2018 in the second half of this year.

Under Polish law, parents who do not follow their child’s immunisation schedule are issued a warning and may then be fined up to PLN 10,000 (EUR 2,300) for each missed vaccination, and up to PLN 50,000 in total.

But in practice fines are usually much lower.

In 2017, sanitary authorities issued vaccination orders to 4,405 households nationwide, up from 4,081 in 2016.

Pinkas said that "parents shun compulsory vaccines for their children" largely because of "the anti-vaccine movement spreading false claims that vaccines are harmful and risky rather than due to parents’ fears of post-vaccination reactions.”

A new survey released by pollster CBOS has shown that 93 percent of Poles consider vaccination to be the best method for protecting children against serious diseases.

In the study, 86 percent of respondents said that vaccines are safe. Eighty-seven percent said immunisation should remain compulsory in Poland in the case of the most dangerous diseases.

Nine percent said vaccines should be voluntary.

(aba/gs)

Source: PAP, Gazeta Krakowska