Vaccination rates up among patients, physicians

Flu vaccination rates are up, and more health care professionals are leading by example, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said at a press conference.

The annual vaccine is never perfect, but “we can say with certainty that the best way to protect yourself, your family, and your community is to get a flu shot.”

About 90 million doses  of vaccine are now available, and 170 million doses are expected this year. Now is a great time for health care professionals and the public to get their flu vaccines.

Last year, 43% of Americans aged 6 months and older were vaccinated; 8 million more than the previous year, and more than ever before. The recommendations for flu vaccination remain the same as last year: “Everyone aged 6 months and older should get the flu vaccine, this year and every year.” Emphasized that the shots are necessary each year, even though the strains of flu in this year’s vaccine and the viruses seen so far this year are the same as for the 2010-2011 season.

“You need this year’s flu shot to protect you against this year’s flu.” One shot should protect against the flu for the duration  of the season, but protection does wane and can’t be expected to carry over year to year.

This year, there are four types of flu vaccine available: the traditional intramascular injection, a nasal spray, a high-dose injection for adults aged 65 years and older, and a new intradermal vaccine featuring a barely noticeable needle. The intradermal vaccine is approved for use in individuals aged 18-64 years.

About 51% of children in the United States received a flu vaccine last year. This represents a 7% increase over the previous year. Although the news on vaccination rates is encouraging.

“It is critical to continue to make progress;  there are too many illnesses and deaths from influenza each year.”

The president of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID), noted that vaccination rates are up among health care workers and that doctors are getting better about recommending flu vaccination to patients.

A total of 68% of adults said that a health care professional recommended that they get a flu vaccination this year, up from 58% in 2010 and 38% in 2008, according to a nationwide telephone survey of 1,006 adults conducted by the NFID. About 60% of adults who were vaccinated last year said that they did so because a health care professional specifically recommended it.

Vaccination rates in health care professionals themselves are up from last year, but there is room for improvement.

“There are a lot of health care professionals who still don’t understand that it’s a patient safety issue.” “And among some health care professionals, there is that persistent myth that you can get the flu from the flu vaccine, which is incorrect.”

Leadership from the top is essential to improving vaccination rates in health care professionals. For example, “a strong senior administrator who makes it clear that we are going to make our hospital environment absolutely as safe as possible for our patients,” which means that flu vaccination is expected, “is essential for increasing flu vaccination among health care professionals.”

To help encourage vaccination this year, the NFID introduced a “leading by example” initiative that calls on health care professionals as well as community and business leaders to get vaccinated themselves as an example to their employees and colleagues.