RSV activity in Poland
Current respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) activity in Poland — based on ECDC ERVISS weekly data, set against the parallel flu and COVID-19 trajectories.
Current situation: RSV
In week 15 of 2026, activity of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in Poland is moderate. The trend — derived from clinical surveillance — is rising. A clear upward movement has emerged over the past few weeks.
The classification is based on the ECDC ERVISS weekly reports, drawing on RSV indicators from Poland's National Institute of Public Health NIH - National Research Institute (NIZP PZH). Seasonally, infection waves in Poland typically peak between December and February; activity is usually markedly lower in spring and summer. How severe a given season becomes depends on the circulating virus variant and the population's immune status, among other factors.
Data sources and methodology
The current picture for Poland is built on the European Respiratory Virus Surveillance Summary (ERVISS), published weekly by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). the National Institute of Public Health (NIZP PZH) via the SENTINEL system is the national public-health authority that feeds ERVISS with sentinel primary care and virology data.
ECDC ERVISS
ERVISS is ECDC's weekly pan-European surveillance summary for influenza, SARS-CoV-2 and RSV. National authorities — in Poland's case the National Institute of Public Health (NIZP PZH) via the SENTINEL system — submit harmonised indicators every week, which ECDC publishes in a standardised dataset on Thursdays. Using ERVISS rather than each country's native portal ensures cross-country comparability.
ILI / ARI consultation rates and positivity
the National Institute of Public Health (NIZP PZH) via the SENTINEL system operates a sentinel network of general practices that report weekly rates of patients consulting for influenza-like illness (ILI) or acute respiratory infection (ARI). A subset of patients is swabbed and tested by reference laboratories, producing pathogen-specific positivity rates for flu, SARS-CoV-2 and RSV.
Why this source
Combining consultation incidence with virological positivity yields a pathogen-specific weekly incidence signal (ILI × positivity / 100). This is the standard European methodology and provides a more robust view than either indicator alone — consultation rates capture illness burden, positivity confirms which pathogen is driving it.
Qualitative classification
The “low”, “moderate” and “high” categories follow seasonal reference values and epidemiological thresholds calibrated to match our classifications for other countries. The ILI × positivity / 100 product is scaled to comparable thresholds using a divisor of 3, which aligns European sentinel peaks with the consultation-equivalent scale used elsewhere. Data refreshes weekly when ECDC publishes the latest ERVISS update, typically on Thursdays.
Frequently asked questions
When is RSV season in Poland?
RSV activity in Poland broadly tracks the winter respiratory season, with the main wave typically climbing from late autumn, peaking between January and March, and easing into spring. The exact timing varies from year to year. Post-pandemic seasons have in some cases shifted earlier or produced sharper peaks, a pattern observed across Europe and reflected in ERVISS reporting.
How is RSV monitored in Poland?
NIZP PZH integrates RSV into its respiratory-virus surveillance, using sentinel primary-care sites and reference laboratories to produce weekly indicators of RSV positivity. These feed into ECDC's ERVISS, where RSV is reported alongside influenza and SARS-CoV-2. The combined panel lets Polish authorities track when RSV pressure on paediatric services is building relative to flu.
Who is most at risk from RSV in Poland?
The highest-risk groups in Poland mirror international patterns: infants — especially those under six months and former preterm babies — and adults aged 60 and older, particularly those with chronic cardiopulmonary conditions. In these groups RSV can progress to bronchiolitis or pneumonia requiring hospital care. Preventive antibodies for infants and adult RSV vaccines are now available in Poland for qualifying groups.
How does Poland's RSV signal compare across Europe?
Because Poland reports into ERVISS, its RSV curve can be compared directly with other EU/EEA countries using the same tiered classifications. Polish peaks frequently sit within a few weeks of the central and eastern European cluster. This cross-country view helps clinicians and public-health teams anticipate paediatric admissions pressure before it fully materialises at home.
How does RSV differ from flu in the surveillance data?
Although flu and RSV share a winter footprint in Poland, the RSV signal is dominated by paediatric presentations — bronchiolitis in the very young — while flu affects all age bands more evenly. In ERVISS terms, RSV and influenza are tracked as separate positivity streams within the same respiratory panel. Distinguishing them reliably usually requires a laboratory test; symptom overlap is too wide for a clinical call.
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