Record number of flu cases in Poland

In the first week of March alone, the number had increased by more than 178,000, according to data by the National Institute of Public Health.

This means that on average over 25,500 Poles fall ill with this disease daily this month.

That's as much as ten percent more than the record-breaking February, writes freesheet Metro.

In fact last month, according to statistics provided by the institute, almost 600 thousand were infected in Poland. Such levels have not been seen since the early 2000s.

This news comes on top of alarming data that Poland could soon see an epidemic of measles, which has already wreaked havoc in countries such as Germany and Italy.

In late February, the World Health Organisiation called on policy-makers, health care workers and parents to immediately step up vaccination against measles across age groups at risk.

“This will help to put an end to the outbreaks occurring in European countries,” the UN-led agency said.

On Wednesday, Margit Kossobudzka, a columnist for Gazeta Wyborcza wrote that “only half a century ago, the world pleaded for a vaccine against many infectious diseases.

“Now that such medicine is freely available, people decide NOT to give it to their children.

Kossobudzka asks rhetorically: “Do we want to start dying of measles again?” (rg)

Source: Metro, Gazeta Wyborcza