English Section

Over 1,000 Poles died from flu this season, official says

21.04.2026 18:45
More than one million people fell ill with influenza in Poland during the past infectious disease season, with complications leading to over 21,600 hospitalisations and more than 1,000 deaths, the country's Chief Sanitary Inspector said on Tuesday.
The influenza virus.
The influenza virus.Photo: Hadonia, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Paweł Grzesiowski made the announcement at the Vaccine Meeting 2026 conference, where experts warned that Poland's healthcare system – focused on treating complications rather than preventing them – is struggling to cope.

Despite a rise in vaccinations following the COVID-19 pandemic, only around 2.3 million people were immunised against flu this season – roughly 6 percent of the total population, and 16 percent among those aged 65 and over.

Experts at the conference called for a streamlined vaccination model allowing free jabs to be administered in a single GP visit, with each case logged to a patient's digital health record.

Prof. Agnieszka Mastalerz-Migas, a national consultant for family medicine, said recommended vaccinations should be publicly funded on a task-based basis, with reimbursement conditional on proper reporting.

Prof. Ernest Kuchar, head of the Polish Vaccinology Society, warned that despite the rollout of digital health records, vaccination data remains fragmented and is analysed with delays.

Without a real-time regional dashboard, he said, effective planning is difficult.

(ał)

Source: PAP