Healthcare staff lag in getting flu shots

U.S. healthcare personnel are not meeting national health objectives for vaccination against influenza, federal health officials say.The Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommend all healthcare personnel should be vaccinated annually for influenza, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report."In a national survey conducted last April of 1,931 healthcare personnel, influenza vaccination coverage among all healthcare personnel for the 2010/2011 season was 63.5 percent. Eighty-four percent of the physicians were vaccinated against influenza and 70 percent among nurses," the report says.However, almost all healthcare personnel reported getting a flu shot when it was required by an employer."In the absence of employer influenza vaccine requirements, increased vaccination coverage was associated with vaccination being offered free at work for multiple days, the report says. "Influenza vaccination coverage among healthcare personnel is important for patient safety and healthcare administrators should make vaccination readily accessible to all healthcare staff as an important part of any comprehensive infection control program."