No risk of measles epidemic in Poland: health minister

Łukasz Szumowski gave a news conference on Sunday after 17 fresh cases of measles were registered in and around Warsaw in recent days and doctors were warning that the disease could spread.

“The situation is worrying inasmuch as we have indeed recorded 17 [new] cases of measles,” Szumowski told reporters. But he added that “Poland as a country” was “absolutely safe” because more than 95 percent of the population was vaccinated against measles.

Szumowski appealed to parents to vaccinate their children despite a movement against vaccination.

Szumowski last month said that a new citizens' bill seeking to do away with compulsory vaccines was of no value.

He told public broadcaster Polish Radio at the time that people needed to be educated about the benefits of vaccination, saying that vaccines saved lives and stopped the spread of disease.

Poland’s MPs earlier in October sent the bill for further work by a parliamentary committee.

(gs/pk)

Source: PAP/IAR