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From the USA,

"The government recommends flu shots for nearly everyone, starting at age 6 months. Vaccination rates among the general public are generally lower than among health care workers.According to the most recent federal data, about 63 percent of U.S. health care workers had flu shots as of November. That's up from previous years, but the government wants 90 percent coverage of health care workers by 2020.The highest rate, about 88 percent, was among pharmacists, followed by doctors at 84 percent, and nurses, 82 percent. Fewer than half of nursing assistants and aides are vaccinated, Bridges said." http://vitals.nbcnews.com/_news/201...ack-down-on-workers-who-refuse-flu-shots?lite
 
I heard on the news that European countries are not recommending the flu shot for "not as risk" groups. Apparently, there isn't any widespread effort to get everyone vaccinated. I wonder why the US is over-reacting. Or is Europe under-reacting?
 
I thought its how its always been in the UK? At risk groups only...
M gets offered one because of his heart condition, Ive never been offered nor had a flu shot.
 
beancounter said:
I heard on the news that European countries are not recommending the flu shot for "not as risk" groups. Apparently, there isn't any widespread effort to get everyone vaccinated. I wonder why the US is over-reacting. Or is Europe under-reacting?
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Influenza A is epidemic this year in much of the US. Hopefully England is not as full of the flu this year!
 
beancounter said:
I heard on the news that European countries are not recommending the flu shot for "not as risk" groups. Apparently, there isn't any widespread effort to get everyone vaccinated. I wonder why the US is over-reacting. Or is Europe under-reacting?
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Because $$$
Since the USA has a for-profit health care system, there's a great incentive to try to get everyone to do everything.

I think news stories like the one you mentioned are mostly fear-mongering anti-single-payer system. Those poor Europeans, only giving flu vax to at-risk individuals!
 
RabbitLuvr said:
Because $$$
Since the USA has a for-profit health care system, there's a great incentive to try to get everyone to do everything.

I think news stories like the one you mentioned are mostly fear-mongering anti-single-payer system. Those poor Europeans, only giving flu vax to at-risk individuals!
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Well, I try not to be cynical... :p. The article I read was actually critical of the mass immunizations in the US.


Last year, I didn't hear a push for widespread shots. I think it really has to do with the severity. Although, I agree thta H1N1 was over-blown.
 
The only way I would get one is if it was made mandatory to keep my job. Then I would be forced to. Until then I won't be getting a flu shot.

Sorry if working myself to exhaustion isn't enough for some. It's the best I can do for now. Germs are everywhere. People hacking and coughing in stores etc. Like stated, I can't do anymore and I don't want to get into arguments over this.
 
Kitties said:
Sorry if working myself to exhaustion isn't enough for some. It's the best I can do for now. Germs are everywhere. People hacking and coughing in stores etc. Like stated, I can't do anymore and I don't want to get into arguments over this.
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I'm not sure that I understand how being over worked correlates to your decision not to get a flu shot?
 
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Kitties said:
The only way I would get one is if it was made mandatory to keep my job. Then I would be forced to. Until then I won't be getting a flu shot.

Sorry if working myself to exhaustion isn't enough for some. It's the best I can do for now. Germs are everywhere. People hacking and coughing in stores etc. Like stated, I can't do anymore and I don't want to get into arguments over this.
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Interesting, if I were overworked (and run down) and surrounded by germs, I'd want all the protection I could get.

But then I feel like a fricking superhero after vaccinations IMMUNITY POWAAAA!
 
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I don't want to start a fight, but I think this might help some of you to understand why we're questioning your decison not to get a flu shot.

In the past year , I went to the hospital for a routine throat endoscopy. During the procedure, a number of needles were stuck in me. The procedure was done at the same hospital where that medical technician was infecting needles with Hep C.

Just a few months ago, I went to a podiatrist to treat plantar fasciitis. The treatment options were either a steriod injection or orthotics. ...Steriods that were made at the pharmacy that had produced the meningitis contaminated injectables. Luckily, I chose the orthotic option instead of the steriod shot.

In less than a year, I dodged a bullet twice.

Now I'm hearing about nurses who don't want to get a flu shot.

So every time I go to the hospital for outpatient procedures, or to the doctors for routine treatment, I could be facing serious illness or death.

The health care industry scares me...
 
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When I was getting chemo last year, my immune system was seriously compromised. That's just part of it, and even though I got a shot that was meant to boost my white blood cell counts, there were still several days after each chemo when I was advised to leave the house and be in contact with other people as little as possible. I had to monitor my temperature daily and call immediately if my temp went over a certain limit.

Being near someone with just a cold could have landed me in the hospital.

I seriously hope the nurses who work in the cancer center are required to get a flu vaccine. But it would have terrified me if I'd had to go to the hospital, and known that the nurses there were not required to get one. As if I didn't have enough to worry about, I could have had to worry about getting flu from the people taking care of me?

Luckily, I finished chemo before flu season, and did not have to go to hospital except for surgery, though there was one point where my temperature was quite high and I had to call my doctor's office throughout the day so they could monitor me.
 
Yes to be honest, I'm very surprised to learn it isn't already a requirement. I'm sure it's a requirement for doctors and nurses to have hepatitis vaccines, so why not other potentially deadly diseases?
 
I was trying to find out if it's required here, and came across an article on the website for my local newspaper about it. It cited national flu vaccination compliance at only 63 percent for health care workers. :o

I was enraged by this:

Cancer nurse Joyce Gingerich is among the skeptics and says her decision to avoid the shot is mostly "a personal thing." She's among seven employees at IU Health Goshen Hospital in northern Indiana who were recently fired for refusing flu shots. Gingerich said she gets other vaccinations but thinks it should be a choice. She opposes "the injustice of being forced to put something in my body."
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Yes, I bet the cancer patients who have lowered immunity from being filled with poison they don't want in their body and would have had to be around her think it is "unjust" to expect their nurses take every available precaution (including having the vaccine) to avoid endangering their health.
 
Lord Snot said:
Yes to be honest, I'm very surprised to learn it isn't already a requirement. I'm sure it's a requirement for doctors and nurses to have hepatitis vaccines, so why not other potentially deadly diseases?
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When I was hired as a hospital RN, I had to show immunity to Hepatitis B and varicella, I think that was all. Maybe German measles too. Soon all healthcare workers in the US doing direct patient care will be required to get the flu vaccine; already the new federal regulations are in effect requiring hospitals to keep track of who is not vaccinated. Some hospitals require gloves and masks to be worn by health care workers who refuse the flu vaccine.

RL, I cannot imagine a nurse taking care of oncology patients not being vaccinated against the flu. I don't think it happens. I know in my hospital, all NICU nurses get the shot, and I bet the oncology nurses do, too.

I hate the flu shot and would not get it if I were not working directly with patients. It is a vaccine that has to be rushed every year because of its nature. Rushing is never good in medicine, and many health care workers know a great deal about the vaccine and are therefore hesitant. Health care workers are regular people with jobs, and like everyone else, make the best decision they can for their circumstances. I'm not judging.

I would recommend that any patient ask everyone who is taking care of you to please wash their hands in your presence before they touch you, flu season or no. Doesn't matter if they use gloves, ask them to wash their hands; it is the most important thing. In flu season, ask if they are immunized against the flu. If no, request another nurse or request she don a mask and gloves after washing her hands.

Experienced nurses and physicians are leaving their professions in droves; I would be way more concerned about *that* as a health care consumer. It is estimated that an extra 30% of individuals will be added to the Medicaid system in the next year or so, not even including the huge aging baby boom population who will be utilizing healthcare at an unprecedented rate, much of it through Medicare.
 
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ledboots said:
When I was hired as a hospital RN, I had to show immunity to Hepatitis B and varicella, I think that was all. Maybe German measles too. Soon all healthcare workers in the US doing direct patient care will be required to get the flu vaccine; already the new federal regulations are in effect requiring hospitals to keep track of who is not vaccinated. Some hospitals require gloves and masks to be worn by health care workers who refuse the flu vaccine.
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That's a relief to hear. I don't know the exact situation in the UK with the flu shot, I hope we have or will soon have a similar regulation. Gloves and masks are not enough!

I don't think we have a problem here with nurses leaving. Many of our nurses and carers come ready qualified from Africa and I think that will continue if English people don't want the job. As for doctors, I wonder if our increased tuition fees are going to reduce the number of people applying for five year degrees.
 
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