mandatory vaccinations for health care workers ?????

[Guest guest]

They Should Know Better

 

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/opinion/14wed3.html?th & emc=th

Published: April 13, 2010

 

We were disturbed to learn that health care workers shunned the swine flu vaccine in droves. Their training and skills will be essential if there is a dangerous flu outbreak. They, of all people, should know how important it is for them to get vaccinated — and that the risk of serious side effects is negligible.

 

 

The good news from a survey of health care workers conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the RAND Corporation is that 62 percent of them had received a vaccine to protect themselves against the standard seasonal flu by mid-January, a much higher percentage than in any previous season. By contrast, only 37 percent of the health care workers had received a vaccine against swine flu.

Although they were designated a high-priority group to get swine flu vaccine, many health workers remained indifferent or hostile. Luckily, the swine flu outbreak turned out to be comparatively mild — but there are no guarantees for the next time.

Medical personnel need to get vaccinated for two reasons beyond protecting themselves and their families. If they become ill, they will be unable to work at a time when their institutions most need them. And those who have direct contact with patients especially need immunization lest they spread illness and death among already vulnerable sick people. The reasons most frequently cited for ducking either vaccine were “I don’t need it” and “I may experience side effects.” Only 17 percent blamed difficulties in getting the late-arriving swine flu vaccine.

The survey found that when employers required their health care workers to get vaccinated against swine flu they got 87 percent compliance; when they recommended that workers get vaccinated, they got 43 percent compliance; and when they did neither, they got only 11 percent of their workers vaccinated.

That strengthens the case for making flu shots mandatory for all health care workers in coming years.

 

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