Description of the website

The website of Szczepienia.info is a member of the WHO-led project Vaccine Safety Net (VSN).

The website Szczepienia.info was created in October 2007 and is administered by the governmental organization National Institute of Public Health- National Institute of Hygiene (NIPH-NIH). The Institute has a 100-year tradition and since its inception has been strongly associated with the topic of vaccination in Poland. The website name means “immunization information” in English.

The Szczepienia.info website provides accurate, up-to-date, evidence-based information on vaccines and vaccination practices in relation to the Polish vaccination schedule. Szczepienia.info website is designed for the public, parents, and for the health-care professionals.

The strength of the website comes from an advisory board composed of renowned experts in the field of vaccinology, including experts from the Polish Society of Vaccinologists. There has been much evolution over the course of 10 years in terms of the website content and structure. It began as an encyclopedia or textbook- and has now a more reactive/interactive style of communication. Information given is only supported by reliable scientific evidence. Webside is an action network building vaccination support among parents acc. their needs unreliable awareness to vaccination and creating the positive image of the organization that contribute to health.

Information on the web site is presented in the form of questions and answers to encourage readers to ask questions on issues not addressed on the portal. Questions are grouped into chapters on general immunization topics, and standardized chapters devoted to diseases with vaccines registered in Poland. All chapters include references to a list of related publications, most of them being easily accessible through hyperlinks. Several navigation tools and an extensive glossary are aimed at improving the accessibility of site contents for the general public.

The webside strongly recommends vaccination, in the case of both obligatory and recommended vaccines. It also points out the harmful consequences of the work of anti-vaccination movements which cite erroneous scientific publications, prey upon the fears and anxieties of parents, and are often moderated by ignoramuses and conmen. Highly convincing and clear-cut arguments have been presented in evidence of the fact that vaccines are some of the best-tested medical products, and that their introduction represents one of the greatest achievements of modern medicine.

Website's sponsorship policy

The activity of the Szczepienia.info website is currently funded by the National Institute of Public Health- National Institute of Hygiene. Members of the Editorial Board are employees of the National Institute of Public Health. Their work on the portal Szczepienia.info is paid solely by the Institute.

The experts who prepared the individual contents of the portal do not receive remuneration for their preparation. Above information can be found at the following link: http://szczepienia.pzh.gov.pl/o-portalu/o-portalu/ All information on the website is freely accessible.

All information on the website is freely accessible.

Website's content or editorial policy

Szczepienia.info has an Advisory Board composed of renowned experts in the field of vaccinology. Welcome to cooperate only persons of recognized standing in the medical community, and we expect them to independent and impartial information, supported by scientific evidence. All content is additionally verified by the members of the Editorial Board, which is responsible for the accuracy of information presented. Individual chapters on the site are updated on a regular basis by staff from the advisory board to address new evidence. The news section is updated as appropriate.

Within the portal a team of medical consultants answer reader’s questions. Repeated questions are put together with the replies of experts in the relevant sections of the portal.