60% of Healthcare Workers Decline Flu Vaccine

I used to work in the healthcare industry.  I remember every fall, we would receive a memo.  It stated, in no uncertain terms, that if we wished to continue our employment, we would be required to have a flu shot.  It wasn’t to keep us healthy and avoid sick-days.  It was to protect the vulnerable patient population. 

A “New York Times,” article, “The Give and Take of Flu Shots: Mostly Give,” tells the statistics of flu shots and healthcare workers now.  It certainly has changed, and apparently it has changed to an elective decision.  The Times stated that fewer than 40% of healthcare workers are getting their flu shots.  Reporter Deborah Franklin, goes on to say that this is endangering the health of the public.  She is right!

Some organizations, as outlined in the article, want flu shots to be mandatory for healthcare works, like it was when I was in the field.  Others are against it being a requirement for employment.  But it is a terrible risk for patients visiting physicians in the clinic environment, for patients hospitalized, and for patients in long-term healthcare facilities. 

Why is this such an issue?  A physician summed it up by saying, “They don’t realize you can pass the infection for 24 hours before you develop symptoms, and for four or five days afterward,” he said. “That means that throughout the shift before you got sick, you were covering your patients with this virus.”

There will be much debate about this topic and much of it will be armchair quarterbacking after the flu season is over, but healthcare consumers need to be aware of these issues.  Patients can ask their own physicians about their staff and let them know:  We are aware and we do expect them to protect our health.

“New York Times” Article – The Give and Take of Flu Shots: Mostly Give

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