This article reports on a large, population-based survey conducted in Poland to estimate how common acute gastrointestinal infections (AGI) are in the community. A subcontracted social marketing company interviewed randomly selected residents across all regions of Poland by telephone, asking about recent stomach or intestinal symptoms. We found that AGI is much more widespread than official reports suggest: for every case reported to the national surveillance system, there are about 453 cases in the community. The study estimated that nearly every person in Poland experiences AGI at least once per year, leading to millions of doctor visits, hospitalizations, and lost workdays. The findings highlight that AGI is a significant but under-recognized public health problem in Poland, and that improvements are needed in how these illnesses are tracked and diagnosed to better protect public health.
The investigation was funded by the international MedVetNet project, and we followed a standardized protocol agreed upon with participating countries. The survey was conducted over a 12‑month period, during which we interviewed 300 randomly selected respondents each month. Participants were asked about the occurrence of gastrointestinal symptoms in the preceding four weeks. This type of cohort study is commonly used to assess the burden of infectious diseases. Anna, who helped coordinate the study, later went on to have a very successful career in the Polish public health system.