New, mandatory vaccinations. Ministry of Health provides details.

• The Ministry of Health is working on a draft amendment to the regulation on mandatory vaccinations.
• This concerns vaccinations against the HPV virus and meningococcal infections.
• They would be mandatory for specific groups

The Minister of Health's legislative agenda includes a draft amendment to the regulation on mandatory vaccinations. It would expand the list of diseases covered by mandatory vaccinations to include:

• Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection - from the age of 9 to the age of 14 (vaccination of the population born in 2018)
• Invasive Neisseria meningitidis infections ( meningococcal infections ) - for persons: - up to 19 years of age who have not been vaccinated against invasive Neisseria meningitidis type B and ACWY infections - from risk groups analogous to those applicable to invasive pneumococcal disease and pneumococcal vaccinations

  - people born to HIV-infected mothers.

The planned date for issuing the regulation is the second half of this year.

As a reminder, the HPV vaccine is currently a recommended vaccination. It is available free of charge as part of a program for children aged 9-14. One of the available vaccines is also fully reimbursed by prescription for individuals under 18.

Verification of the vaccination catalogue - standard practice

In response to questions from the Health Market about the details of the planned changes, the Ministry replied that in the field of HPV , the analyses conducted are multidirectional and multivariate .

- Various scenarios and solutions are being considered that may improve the effectiveness of health prevention, including cancer prevention - informed the Ministry of Health press office.

"HPV vaccination plays a crucial role in preventing cancers related to human papillomavirus infection, particularly cervical cancer, but also other cancers. (...) The National Oncology Strategy assumes that one of the most effective tools for reducing the incidence of cancer is the wider use of HPV vaccinations," the ministry noted.

He noted that the vaccination schedule is updated on an ongoing basis to "protect society from diseases, taking into account the latest threats and scientific research." "Verifying the vaccination schedule and its administration dates is standard practice, resulting from epidemiological changes, emerging threats, recommendations from international organizations, and national needs," the ministry added.

As announced, the draft amendments to the regulations have been subject to internal consultations within the office and will soon be published on the RCL website.

Copyrighted material - reprint rules are specified in the regulations .