Flu Vaccinations Underway
The 2005-2006 influenza season has arrived, and the influenza vaccination process has begun, with nurses and other healthcare workers being given priority by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC recommends that priority groups, including “healthcare personnel who provide direct patient care,” receive the trivalent, inactivated vaccine preferably before Oct. 24, 2005, the date that all persons will become eligible for vaccination. An estimated 89 million to 97 million doses of the trivalent, inactivated vaccine and 3 million doses of the live, attenuated vaccine doses are available from three pharmaceutical vendors.
Background
Because the influenza vaccine directly affects nurses and their patients, ANA is involved with this issue, and has been active in shaping policy and legislation that relates to it. A member of the National Nursing Immunization Network, ANA representatives regularly participate in meetings with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other governmental bodies that oversee and regulate the issue. In addition, ANA is collaborating on and advocating for strategies that will negate future shortages, such as the one seen in the 2004-2005 influenza season, with its other partners in the policy arena.
ANA Position on Getting Vaccinated
ANA strongly recommends that nurses and all other health care providers who have direct patient contact be vaccinated against the influenza virus. Because the influenza virus has the potential to greatly affect nurses and their patients, ANA is especially adamant about nurses receiving an annual influenza vaccination. ANA further maintains that nurses involved in direct patient care – and particularly nurses working with persons who have HIV/AIDS, are immuno-compromised or in other high-risk groups – get vaccinated against influenza in order to prevent any outbreaks of the virus.
ANA is encouraging nurses and nursing students to get vaccinated in part because, according to the CDC, approximately 43 percent of health care professionals received immunizations against the influenza virus during the 2004-2005 influenza season. ANA believes this is an alarmingly low percentage and one that is totally unnecessary, especially given health care professionals’ categorization as an influenza high-risk group, their access to the vaccine and their daily contact with patients, many of whom also are in influenza high-risk categories. Because influenza annually leads to 200,000 hospitalizations resulting from complications and 36,000 deaths each year, nurses who are vaccinated against the virus not only safeguard themselves, but they also help protect their patients, their families and their communities.
In addition, the National Quality Forum has endorsed a set of 30 safe practices that include “vaccinating healthcare workers to protect both them and their patients from influenza.”
And finally, ANA cites a research article by Gregory A. Poland, “Requiring influenza vaccination for health care workers: seven truths we must accept,” (Vaccine 23, 2005, 2251-2255), in which Poland states, “The second truth is that influenza-infected healthcare workers can transmit the virus to their patients,” as further evidence that health care workers should get vaccinated.”
Influenza General Facts
- Approximately 36,000 people die each year as a result of influenza.
- More than 90 percent of influenza-related deaths occur in people age 65 and older.
- Only about 43 percent of health care professionals were vaccinated against influenza during the 2004-2005 influenza season. ANA hopes to counteract this alarming and unacceptably low percentage through greater education and awareness among nurses and nursing students.
- 10 percent to 20 percent of the general population gets influenza each year.
- Influenza season typically runs from November to March and can begin as early as October or as late as November.
- October and November are the best months in which to get an influenza shot, but getting vaccinated in December or later will still help in preventing the spread of influenza.
- Scientists make a different vaccine every year because the strains of virus causing influenza change from year to year.
- Getting an influenza shot does not cause influenza. Because the strains of influenza viruses used in the trivalent influenza vaccine are “killed” when the vaccine is produced, they cannot cause infection.
- Antibodies take about two weeks to develop after getting vaccinated.
- Influenza viruses spread in respiratory droplets caused by coughing and sneezing. They usually spread from person to person but also can be spread from touching something with the influenza virus on it and then touching the mouth, eyes or nose.
- Healthy adults may be able to infect others beginning one day before symptoms develop and up to five days after becoming sick.
- Spread of the influenza virus may be prevented by using good hand-washing hygiene and respiratory etiquette (for example, using a tissue or a handkerchief or coughing into the inner elbow area of one’s sleeve if a tissue is not available).
- Children are impacted by influenza, too. Among children aged zero to four years, hospitalization rates ranged from approximately five per thousand for children with low-risk medical conditions to one per thousand for children with our high-risk medical conditions. The hospitalization rates are highest among children aged zero to one year.
- During the 2003-2004 influenza season, 152 children died from influenza.
- Children are two to three times more likely than adults to get sick with influenza and frequently spread the virus to others, according to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
- In 2004, the first year all children 6-23 months were recommended for influenza vaccination, the vaccination rate among children aged 6-23 months was up sharply from 7.7 percent in 2002 to 57.3 percent, according to the CDC.
ANA Advocacy Activities
- CDC – ANA regularly participates in conference calls held by the CDC to update the health provider community regarding the influenza vaccine shortage.
- 2004-2005 Influenza Vaccination Shortage – For information regarding ANA’s activities and advocacy efforts related to last year’s influenza vaccination shortage, see www.nursingworld.org/backgrounders/flu0405.htm.
Communications Outreach and Education
Media Outreach and Response – ANA regularly responds to media inquiries regarding influenza vaccination preparedness from major media outlets. Please check this site for media updates as the 2005-2006 influenza season progresses.
Member Education/Publications – Members have been updated on the influenza issue through The American Nurse (“CDC gives health care workers priority influenza immunization status” p. 13 September/October 2005 issue) and monthly during influenza season through the CMA Insider.
Influenza Resources for Professionals
Influenza Resources for Consumers
Vaccine Information Statements
Continuing Education Opportunities
- NetConference
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
“Current Issues in Immunization,” Thursday, Oct. 13, 2005 at 12 p.m. Eastern Time – http://www.cdc.gov/nip/ed/ciinc
CE credit -1 hour; session information archived
- On-line Course
Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA)
“Hurry up and Wait – Preparing for Influenza
http://shea2005influenzasession.digiscript.com
CE credit - 2.4 contact hours
Summaries and background information on key topics
