More and more parents are not vaccinating their children. The data is terrible

In recent years, the number of parents who refuse vaccination has been steadily increasing. This applies to both mandatory vaccinations and those included in the Protective Vaccination Program as voluntary. The result is not only a higher incidence of infectious diseases eliminated by vaccination, but also more frequent hospitalizations of children as a result of more severe childhood illnesses.

How many parents do not vaccinate their children?

The anti-vaccine movement is happening all over the world. In Poland, the number of parents who do not want to vaccinate their children also continues to grow, although after the pandemic, the growth rate began to decline. In 2021, the number of parents who refused to be vaccinated exceeded 60,000. For comparison, in 2015 there were significantly less than 20,000 people.

Why don’t parents vaccinate their children?

Among the reasons given by parents who decide not to vaccinate their children, the most common is the fear of NEP. More than 60 percent of parents fear unexpected side effects or side effects from a vaccine, even if their fear is unreasonable. More than 20 percent of parents do not believe in the effectiveness of vaccines and do not want to burden the children’s body.

Is there anything to be afraid of?

Thanks to preventive vaccination, it was possible to eliminate or significantly reduce the number of people suffering from dangerous infectious diseases. Even if the child gets sick (for example, smallpox), the course of the disease after vaccination will be much milder than in an unvaccinated person.

Also remember that side effects are rare. The most common symptoms are fever, swelling at the injection site, and irritability. These symptoms disappear within a few days after vaccination.

An increase in the number of parents who refuse to vaccinate their children leads to a decrease in herd immunity. For vaccination to be effective against a disease, it must be at least 80 percent.