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Room to improve flu vaccine coverage among health care personnel :

November 14, 2016

Editor’s note: This article summarizes key points from two Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). To subscribe to MMWR, visit www.cdc.gov/MMWR.

  • Black CA, et al. “Influenza Vaccination Coverage Among Health Care Personnel – United States, 2015-16 Influenza Season.” MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2016;65(38):1026-1031, www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/wr/mm6538a2.htm.

The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends that all health care personnel receive annual influenza vaccination to reduce influenza-related morbidity in health care settings. The CDC has been conducting surveys of health care personnel to monitor influenza vaccine coverage since the 2010-’11 season. The MMWR article summarizes results of the 2015-’16 season survey, which included 2,258 health care personnel.

The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends that all health care personnel receive annual influenza vaccination. Photo courtesy CDC.The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends that all health care personnel receive annual influenza vaccination. Photo courtesy CDC.

 

Overall, 79% of survey participants reported receiving an influenza vaccine during the 2015-’16 season, which was similar to coverage in the 2014-’15 season (77%) but higher than the 2010-’11 season (64%).

Health care personnel working in hospitals had higher coverage (91%) than those working in ambulatory (80%) or long-term care settings (69%). When stratified by occupation, coverage was highest among physicians (96%) and lowest among assistants and aides (64%).

The highest coverage occurred among health care personnel whose employer required the vaccine (96%). Higher influenza immunization rates in health care providers resulted from the following:

  • employer requirements for influenza vaccination,
  • access to influenza vaccination in the workplace and
  • provision of influenza vaccine at no cost.

Information on influenza vaccines available for the 2016-’17 season can be found at www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/vaccine/vaccines.htm.

Dr. Collins is a member of the AAP Section on Infectious Diseases. She is a post-graduate training fellow in pediatric infectious diseases at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. Dr. Pickering was editor of the AAP Red Book from 2000-’12. He is adjunct professor of pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine. 

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