 |
|
American College of Physicians recommends flu vaccination for health-care workers
October 04, 2007Influenza vaccination of health-care workers results in improved patient safety, improved employee safety and decreased health-care expenditures
The American College of Physicians (ACP) recommends that an annual influenza vaccine should be required for every health care worker with direct patient care activities.
Only 36 percent of all health care workers are immunized against influenza each year. Transmission of influenza from health care workers to patients has been documented in nearly every health care setting, and multiple studies show that 70 percent or more of health care workers continue to work despite being ill with influenza, increasing exposure of patients and co-workers.
"Immunizing health care workers safely and effectively prevents a significant number of influenza infections, hospitalizations, and deaths among the patients they care for, as well as preventing workplace disruption and medical errors by workers absent from work due to illness, or present at work but ill," said Vincenza Snow, MD, FACP, Director, Clinical Programs and Quality of Care at ACP.
Every year, flu infects up to 20 percent of the population, causes the hospitalization of about 200,000 people, and kills 36,000.
Major professional medical societies have endorsed and published recommendations requiring health care workers with direct patient care to be immunized, unless they sign an informed declination. ACP encourages organizations to establish an annual influenza vaccination program, educate staff and physicians about flu vaccination, evaluate vaccination rates and reasons for nonparticipation in the immunization program at the unit level, and implement enhancements to the program to increase participation.
ACP's influenza vaccination policy exempts health care workers if a medical contraindication to influenza immunization exists, a religious objection to immunization exists, or an informed declination is signed by the health care worker. The full text of the policy can be viewed at http://www.acponline.org/aii/acp_vaccination.pdf
American College of Physician
"Immunizing health care workers safely and effectively prevents a significant number of influenza infections, hospitalizations, and deaths among the patients they care for, as well as preventing workplace disruption and medical errors by workers absent from work due to illness, or present at work but ill," said Vincenza Snow, MD, FACP, Director, Clinical Programs and Quality of Care at ACP.
Every year, flu infects up to 20 percent of the population, causes the hospitalization of about 200,000 people, and kills 36,000.
Major professional medical societies have endorsed and published recommendations requiring health care workers with direct patient care to be immunized, unless they sign an informed declination. ACP encourages organizations to establish an annual influenza vaccination program, educate staff and physicians about flu vaccination, evaluate vaccination rates and reasons for nonparticipation in the immunization program at the unit level, and implement enhancements to the program to increase participation.
ACP's influenza vaccination policy exempts health care workers if a medical contraindication to influenza immunization exists, a religious objection to immunization exists, or an informed declination is signed by the health care worker. The full text of the policy can be viewed at http://www.acponline.org/aii/acp_vaccination.pdf
American College of Physician
Influenza Current Events and Influenza News RSSStopping germs from ganging up on humans
Keeping germs from cooperating can delay the evolution of drug resistance more effectively than killing germs one by one with traditional drugs such as antibiotics, according to new research from The University of Arizona in Tucson.
Common cold virus came from birds
A virus that causes cold-like symptoms in humans originated in birds and may have crossed the species barrier around 200 years ago, according to an article published in the December issue of the Journal of General Virology. Scientists hope their findings will help us understand how potentially deadly viruses emerge in humans.
The health burden of raising a grandchild
Precautionary health measures such as mammograms and cholesterol tests that identify the risk of heart disease are critical for the well-being of women over 50. Add the responsibility of providing sustained care for a grandchild, and these preventive examinations become even more important.
Protein 'tubules' free avian flu virus from immune recognition
A protein found in the virulent avian influenza virus strain called H5N1 forms tiny tubules in which it "hides" the pieces of double-stranded RNA formed during viral infection, which otherwise would prompt an antiviral immune response from infected cells, said Baylor College of Medicine researchers in an online report in the journal Nature.
Flu vaccination rates lag for at-risk adolescents
Influenza vaccination rates for adolescents who suffer from asthma and other illnesses are still far too low, according to a recent study.
New intranasal influenza vaccine triggers robust immunity with significantly less antigen
A single administration of a novel, nasally delivered influenza vaccine elicited immune responses in ferrets that were more than 20 times higher than those generated by two injections of the currently approved vaccines, according to a study by NanoBio Corporation.
Masks, hand washing, prevent spread of flu-like symptoms by up to 50 percent
Wearing masks and using alcohol-based hand sanitizers may prevent the spread of flu symptoms by as much as 50 percent, a landmark new study suggests.
Cold virus found to manipulate genes
Sneezing, runny nose and chills? You might blame the human rhinovirus (HRV), which causes 30 to 50 percent of common colds. But in reality, it's not the virus itself but HRV's ability to manipulate your genes that is the true cause of some of the most annoying cold symptoms.
First comprehensive genomic study of common cold reveals new treatment targets
Today, scientists from Procter & Gamble (P&G), the University of Calgary and the University of Virginia announced results from the first study to examine the entire human genome's response to the most common cold virus, human rhinovirus.
Vaccinating family members offers important flu protection to newborns
Vaccinating new mothers and other family members against influenza before their newborns leave the hospital creates a "cocooning effect" that may shelter unprotected children from the flu, a virus that can be life-threatening to infants, according to researchers at Duke Children's Hospital.
More Influenza Current Events and Influenza News Articles
 | The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague In History by John M. Barry In the winter of 1918, at the height of WWI, history’s most lethal influenza virus erupted in an army camp in Kansas, moved east with American troops, then exploded, killing as many as 100 million people worldwide. It killed more people in twenty-four weeks than AIDS has killed in twenty-four years, more in a year than the Black Death killed in a century. But this was not the Middle Ages, and... |
 | Flu: The Story Of The Great Influenza Pandemic by Gina Kolata When we think of plagues, we think of AIDS, Ebola, anthrax spores, and, of course, the Black Death. But in 1918 the Great Flu Epidemic killed an estimated 40 million people virtually overnight. If such a plague returned today, taking a comparable percentage of the U.S. population with it, 1.5 million Americans would die.In Flu, Gina Kolata, an acclaimed reporter for The New York Times, unravels... |
| The Great Influenza (The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History) | |
 | Avian Influenza Avian Influenza provides the first comprehensive guide covering the full spectrum of this complex and increasingly high-profile disease, its history and its treatment and control. All aspects of avian influenza are dealt with in depth, systematically covering biology, virology, diagnostics, ecology, epidemiology, clinical medicine, and the control. The book fuses coverage of the latest... |
 | Influenza 1918 (The American Experience) by Lynette Iezzoni |
 | Avian Influenza Virus (Methods in Molecular Biology) With the growing global fear of a major pandemic, avian influenza virus research has increased greatly in importance during this young century. In Avian Influenza Virus, an expert team of researchers and diagnosticians examine the fundamental yet essential virological methods for AI virus research and diagnostics as well as some of the newest molecular procedures currently used for basic and... |
 | The Influenza Pandemic of 1918-1919 (Great Historic Disasters) by Paul Kupperberg In late January 1918, Dr. Loren Miner, a country physician in rural Kansas, saw the first cases of an influenza of a violent nature. With a warning to the U.S. Public Health Service, his was the lone voice of alarm about the potential spread of this virulent new strain of a particularly deadly disease. With hundreds of thousands of American servicemen crisscrossing the nation through military... |
 | Flu: A Social History of Influenza by Tom Quinn This fascinating book explores the havoc caused by the world's most deadly virus - and the destruction left behind in its... |
 | Bioterror: Anthrax, Influenza, and the Future of Public Health Security by R. William Johnstone This book uses the 2001 anthrax attacks as its point of departure for an analysis of the past, present, and future of America's preparedness to deal with major challenges to public health, including bioterrorism and pandemic flu. The study identified the strength and weaknesses of the system while making recommendations for improvements. This allows the U.S. to be better prepared if faced with a... |
 | Pandemic Influenza: Emergency Planning and Community Preparedness “... an amazing resource ... Dr. Ryan has assembled some of the best experts in the field to guide you in understanding the threat of pandemic influenza and how it can affect you and the people you are responsible for. ...” From the foreword by Lynn A. Slepski, Captain, United States Public Health Service No one is immune to the potential devastation of a mass pandemic influenza... |
| © 2008 BrightSurf.com |