Infectious diseases in Poland in 2014

The aim of the study is to assess epidemiological situation of infectious and parasitic diseases in Poland in 2014, and an indication of the potential health risks from communicable diseases occurring in other areas of the globe.

This paper is a summary of the analysis and evaluation of the results of epidemiological surveillance of infectious diseases in Poland in 2014, and those elements of European and global epidemiological background, which in this period had an impact on the epidemiological situation in Poland or constituted a threat. The main source of data for this study are statistical reports included in annual bulletins “Infectious diseases and poisoning in Poland in 2014” and “Immunizations in Poland in 2014” (NIPH-PZH, GIS, Warsaw 2015) and the data contained in the articles of „Epidemiological chronicle” presented in the Data on deaths are based on the statement of the Department for Demographic Research and Labour Market CSO presenting numbers of deaths from infectious and parasitic diseases registered in Poland in 2014, and in the previous years.

Upper respiratory tract infection classified as “suspected flu and the flu season” in the since many years are the largest position among the diseases subject to disease surveillance. In the last decade, particularly large increase in the incidence of upper respiratory tract infection was reported in the flu season 2013., when the increase in comparison to the median of years 2008-2012 amounted to 189.8%. In 2014. Number of reported cases was 3 137 056 which represented a nonsignificant decrease of 0.8% compared with the previous year. However, compared to the median of the years 2008-2012 it was an increase of 187.4%. Better then based on calendar year is a picture obtained by examining the incidence of seasonal periods in the annual, but counted from 1 September to 31 August of the following year. In such a setup, in the 2012/2013 season were recorded 3 025 258 of cases, and in the season 2013/2014 recorded number was 2 780 945. In such a way in the 2013/2014 season decrease in the number of cases as compared to the season 2012/2013 was 8%. Another group of infections with a high incidence are intestinal ones. In 2014. Incidence of intestinal infections with Salmonella etiology increased in comparison with the previous year by 10.8%, but in relation to the median of 2008-2012 was lower by 7.3%. Incidence of an important group of intestinal infections, which are diarrhea cases in children under 2 years, increased in 2014. in the category of infections of viral etiology and a decreased among bacterial ones. In 2014. upward trend of intestinal infections caused by viruses persited. Among these infections dominated rotavirus infections in children. Number of reported foodborne infections of viral etiology was 51 561 (134.0/100 000). Most of them were caused by rotavirus: 33 789 (87.8/100 000). Number of cases of whooping cough reported in 2014 was 2 101 (5.5/100 000), it was a decrease of incidence as compared with the previous year by 3.7%. After the epidemic increase in cases of rubella in 2013. there has been a decline in the incidence of the disease by 84.7%. No single case of congenital rubella was reported. In 2014. it were reported 110 cases of measles (0.29 / 100 000). In 2014. Number of cases of invasive diseases caused by H. influenzae was 41, incidence: (0.11 / 100 000). This was an increase of 64.1%, as compared with the previous year. Among them, the number of sepsis cases increased by 150% from 10 to 25. None of these cases was fatal. The number of invasive diseases caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae in 2014. amounted to 704. In comparison with 2013. This was an increase of 30.4%, but as compared with the median of the 2008-2012 period it was 91.9%. Among the cases of invasive S. pneumoniae infections 59 were fatal. The downward trend in the incidence of tuberculosis in total (all forms of TB) is clearly sustainable. In 2014. Incidence of this disease has decreased in comparison with the previous year from 18.8 / 100 000 to 17.4 and pulmonary tuberculosis from 17.8 to 16.4 / 100 000. In 2014. There were reported 1 157 cases of newly diagnosed HIV infections (3.01 / 100 000). And it was not a significant increase in the incidence of 4.5%, as compared with the previous year. The number of reported new AIDS cases decreased by 8.6%. In recent decades, there were no indiginus cases of malaria in Poland. Registered cases of malaria apply to persons who acquired it abroad in endemic areas. 19 such cases were reported in 2014. In 2014. there were no cases of diphtheria, poliomyelitis, rabies and viral haemorrhagic fevers with exception of dengue, of which 15 cases acquired in endemic areas were reported. Total number of deaths due to infectious and parasitic diseases in 2014 in Poland. was 2 169. The share of deaths from these causes in reference to the total number of deaths was 0.58%, and mortality due to infectious diseases was 5.6 per 100 000. Most deaths (24.6%) were caused by tuberculosis and its consequences.