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Infectious Diseases Make a Comeback: Hepatitis A Cases Surge
🇵🇱 Poland /Health & Science

Infectious Diseases Make a Comeback: Hepatitis A Cases Surge

From Rzeczpospolita · (40m ago) Polish Critical tone

Translated from Polish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Several infectious diseases, including Hepatitis A, measles, and tuberculosis, are seeing a resurgence after a period of relative calm during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Hepatitis A cases have surged dramatically, particularly in large urban centers, with a significant increase in domestically transmitted infections rather than imported ones.
  • While measles cases have decreased from recent peaks, vaccination rates remain below optimal levels, posing a risk of future outbreaks, especially given international trends.

The resurgence of infectious diseases like Hepatitis A, measles, and tuberculosis is a growing concern for Poland's public health system. Following the pandemic, these illnesses are returning with renewed intensity, prompting a closer examination of prevention strategies and the system's response capabilities. The Ministry of Health has highlighted these trends, emphasizing the need for vigilance and proactive measures.

Hepatitis A is returning with a vengeance. Not only is the number of cases increasing, but the structure of the diseases themselves is also changing.

— Participants of a parliamentary subcommittee on public healthHighlighting the resurgence of infectious diseases.

Particularly alarming is the sharp rise in Hepatitis A cases, which have seen a nearly 3.5-fold increase in 2025 compared to the previous year and an elevenfold increase compared to the 2010-2023 median. Notably, these infections are increasingly domestic, concentrated in major cities like Warsaw, Gdańsk, and Wrocław, and primarily affecting young men aged 25-39. The effectiveness of post-exposure vaccinations and rapid sanepid response are crucial in mitigating transmission, a point underscored by the Ministry of Health.

Still to this day, we have a situation where the number of cases of Hepatitis A in 2025 was almost 3.5 times higher than in 2024, and 11 times higher compared to the median incidence in 2010–2023.

— Anna Bauman-Popczyk, Director of the Public Health Department at the Ministry of HealthDetailing the significant increase in Hepatitis A cases.

While the situation with measles appears more stable than in previous years, the vaccination coverage, particularly for the second dose of the MMR vaccine, remains below the crucial 95% threshold. This persistent gap, coupled with significant outbreaks in other European countries like Romania and the UK, signals a continued risk of large-scale measles epidemics in Poland. The Ministry stresses that maintaining high vaccination rates is paramount to preventing the accumulation of susceptible individuals and averting future public health crises. The focus remains on strengthening preventative measures and ensuring the healthcare system is equipped to handle these resurgent threats.

Until recently, imported cases dominated, but in 2025, the number of imported cases was significantly lower. Domestic cases predominated.

— Anna Bauman-PopczykDescribing the shift in Hepatitis A transmission patterns.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Rzeczpospolita in Polish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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