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The improving epidemiological situation of the most of communicable diseases causes, that the real and potential risks attributable to them have been forgotten. The aim of study was to determine the mothers knowledge about vaccine preventable diseasesA survey was conducted among 177 randomly selected mothers. The interviews with mothers hospitalized after childbearing in two hospitals in Krakow and Myslenice were conducted at the end of 2014 and in 2015The assessment of risk to develop an infectious diseases in unvaccinated children significantly varied among mothers. Individual respondents claimed that the risk does not exist regarding each of considered disease. The highest percentage of that kind of answers was related to poliomyelitis – 3.9% of mothers assessed that unvaccinated children have no risk to become ill. The similar percentage of respondents assessed a risk as remote probable regarding poliomyelitis, pertussis and hepatitis A - 16.8%, 15.2% and 16.3%, respectively. The highest risk was attributed to varicella – 50.6% mothers gave that answers. Mothers could not state a risk of disease developing mostly with regard to poliomyelitis, diphtheria, hepatitis A and pertussis – 42.7%, 38.2%, 33.7% and 33.2%, respectively. Relatively high percentage of respondents stated a mild course of that kind of diseases like varicella, mumps, rubella, infectious diarrhea and measles - from 17.4% with respect to measles to 34.3% regarding varicella. To life-threating category mothers primarily included sepsis (74.2%), meningitis and tick-borne encephalitis (each obtained 68.5% answers)Mothers knowledge about vaccine preventable diseases varied depending on the type of disease. The lack of awareness of the risk related to communicable diseases regarded not only those diseases which have not been occurred in Poland for many years but also those ones that still represent significant epidemiological problem. The society too often has an opinion that some diseases like varicella, mumps or rubella are the mild diseases what can conduce to easy withdrawal from those vaccinations

Campaigns against vaccinations in Poland have been increasingly more frequently observed in recent years, that was the reason of bigger number of parents refusing a consent for their children immunization. The aim of study was to determine the sources of information which significantly influence mothers’ opinions about vaccinations.A survey was conducted among 154 randomly selected mothers hospitalized after childbearing in two hospitals in Krakow and Myslenice at the end of 2014 and in 2015. The research tool was the author’s structured questionnaire interview.The majority of mothers regarded vaccinations as an efficient method of children protection against infectious diseases. Nevertheless, a few percent of women admitted that it is not efficient method or had no opinion about it. The mothers’ confidence was higher for vaccines known for many years compared to new formulations – 23.7% did not trust them and 22.4% had no statement on it. The most of respondents claimed that the safety of polyvalent vaccines is lower than single formulas, and were convinced that children receive too many vaccines. About 54.6% of mothers had no opinion and 13.6% admitted that children with chronic diseases should not be vaccinated. Depending on the question content from 3.2% to 54.6% respondents had no opinion about included vaccination issues. The pediatricians and family doctors were the main and the most reliable source of information about vaccinations. The reliability of doctors was assessed higher by citizens of big city compared to women living in rural area (statistically significant). Above 50% of mothers used mass media as a source of information about vaccination but less than 8% regarded them as reliable.Despite the wide access to different source of information, the newborns’ mothers too often had the knowledge and opinions about vaccination inconsistent with data derived from medical facts. Furthermore, significant group of mothers had no opinions about important issues with respect to vaccinations. At the beginning of infants life when parents decide of their child immunization, the reliable knowledge about that issue should be delivered by GPs because the other sources of information are assessed as much less reliable.