Background: Poland has experienced increased economic migration since 2021. Large waves of migrants,
mostly from Asian and African countries, are trying to get into the European Union by crossing Poland’s
eastern border illegally. The influx of illegal migrants into Poland is the result of a policy adopted by the Belarusian
and Russian regimes that are trying to provoke another migrant crisis in Europe. In the opinion
of some Polish politicians illegal migration contributes to the spread of parasitic diseases in our country
as many migrants arriving into Poland carry intestinal parasites. The aim of this study was to assess
the prevalence of infections with intestinal parasites in the Polish Border Guard officers safeguarding
Poland’s eastern borders.
Materials and methods: Parasitological diagnostics was carried out between April and May 2023. The study
involved 218 Polish Border Guard officers from the Podlaski Border Guard Unit (PBGU) and 209 officers
from the Bug Border Guard Unit (BBGU), whose task is to patrol and safeguard Poland’s border with
Ukraine and Belarus. Faecal examinations were performed using three different light microscopy testing
methods (direct smear, decantation, flotation) at the Department of Epidemiology and Tropical Medicine
at the Military Institute of Medicine – National Research Institute, Warsaw, Poland.
Results: Considered to be potentially pathogenic intestinal parasites were diagnosed in 20 out of 218 officers
serving in the PBGU (8.7% infected with Blastocystis spp., 0.5% with Dientamoeba fragilis) and in 9 out
of 209 officers serving in the BBGU (3.8% infected with Blastocystis spp., 0.5% with Dientamoeba fragilis).
There were no infections with nematodes, cestodes or trematodes in the study participants. No correlation
was found between a parasitic infection and the presence of diarrhoea or other gastrointestinal symptoms
within 6 months prior to the study in both groups.
Conclusions: Although Polish Border Guard officers deployed to the eastern border are exposed to difficult
environmental conditions and have frequent contacts (either directly or indirectly) with migrants arriving
from countries which report high incidence of parasitic infections, the rates of infections with potentially
pathogenic protozoa in officers from the PBGU and BBGU are low and mainly attributable to pathogens
which are widespread in the general Polish population. Low rates of parasitic infections in officers serving
in the border zone suggest that the epidemiological situation of parasitic diseases in East Poland is satisfactory
and that the disease prevention strategies (including the use of personal protection gear) implemented
by the Polish medical services are effective.