The Influenza Specialist Group (ISG) calls for healthcare workers, allied health and ancillary staff members and their employers to recognise their duty and responsibility to protect themselves, their contacts and their patients from influenza.

1. The ISG supports the concept of mandatory healthcare worker (HCW) vaccination to protect HCWs and their patients from influenza, across all healthcare settings.

2. The ISG supports the development of a formal national guideline that positions vaccination as a condition of employment when working in patient contact roles. This condition should be implemented in combination with strict criteria for exemptions and the wearing of surgical masks during the influenza season for those granted these exemptions.

3. A national standardised system of vaccination surveillance should be developed and implemented across all healthcare settings.

Seasonal influenza remains the leading cause of annual vaccine-preventable disease, associated hospitalisation and death in Australia.(1) The immunisation of HCW plays a significant role in preventing nosocomial transmission in healthcare settings.

Although some voluntary HCW vaccination programs have been effective when combined with strong institutional leadership and robust educational campaigns, the rates of influenza vaccination amongst HCW in Australia remain suboptimal ranging from 16.3 to 58.7%. (2)

The World Health Organization, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, US Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, and the Australian Immunisation Handbook actively recommend annual influenza immunisation of HCWs.

The ISG’s mission is to reduce the public health impact of influenza in Australia. Non-immunised HCWs put themselves and their patients at risk. Therefore the ISG supports the concept of mandatory HCW vaccination to protect HCWs and their patients from influenza, across all healthcare settings.

The ISG believes that the health system should embrace HCW vaccination as a core safety practice to protect staff and patients. Therefore the ISG supports the development of a formal national guideline, that positions vaccination as a condition of employment when working in patient contact roles. This condition should be implemented in combination with strict criteria for exemptions, and the wearing of surgical masks during the influenza season for those granted these exemptions.(2)

The ISG recognises the need for strong governance, visible leadership support and the availability of electronic HCW vaccination records (real time data) as a critical success factor.

A national standardised system of vaccination surveillance should be developed and implemented across all healthcare settings.

1. Chiu C, Dey A, Wang H, Menzies R, Deeks S, Mahajan D, et al. Vaccine preventable diseases in Australia, 2005-2007. Commun DisIntell 2010: 34: S1-167

2. Seale H, Raina MacIntyre C. Seasonal Influenza Vaccination in Australian hospital health care workers: a review. Med J Aust 2011; 195(6): 336–8. doi:10.5694/mja11.10067

 

Page published:    January 2014

Last reviewed:      7 October 2015