Flu Vaccine, enough already!

Nurses COVID

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Yes, we are in flu season. And it seems you can't go anywhere without being bombarded/enticed to get the flu vaccine. A lot of times scare tactics are used also. They tried making it mandatory for nurses last season but that failed, thank goodness. Then a friend went to a job interview, and a condition of employment was that she had to get the flu vaccine even though she did not want it.

Yet recently, a healthcare employer (I have declined to identify) went as far as to offer employees who get the flu vaccine (at work), entry into a raffle for a hot electronic gadget. I just think its too much. People already know about the flu vaccine and have made an educated decision about whether they want it or not. Flu vaccines have become extremely commercialized, which leads me to conclude that a financial windfall is being made somewhere. Just sayin...

I have received the flu shot before but one year I finally had an allergic reaction. So now I have to provide places of employment and my past schools stating this. I personally don't think the flu shot is anymore effective than skipping out on it. I have actually gotten the flu less now that I don't get the shot. I've never had the flumist since I'm asthmatic but around here thats an accepted alternative. Its a good idea but what if the guessed strain doesnt match the actual strain. Remember all the h1n1 commotion? All those people got sick and many had gotten the vaccine. I think that as long as the workplace will reimburse for it healthcare workers should take up on it. I feel like there should be a refusal method in place though. Do places of employment allow refusals for religious beliefs? Im not familiar with this since it never applied to me. But I guess look.at society and schools and colleges requiring vaccinations. I guess its the same idea. I dont know. I.could argue both sides. Just some food for thought

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Specializes in Trauma, ER, ICU, CCU, PACU, GI, Cardiology, OR.
i.could argue both sides. just some food for thought

you do have a point, a mere point but a point nonetheless :cool:

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Personally, I'd just like to let my immune system do what it was meant to do: fight disease. Immunization is great for constant contagions like polio, diphtheria, etc, or for those who are pathologically susceptible; but for an ever-evolving virus such as flu please just let my otherwise healthy and normal immune system handle it naturally. On the off chance I die you can laugh at me then. Until that happens, keep your commercialized nonsense to yourself and stop making me choose between my job and an unnecessary shot.

You have no idea how virulent the flu can be. Some strains are deadly even among the young and healthy.

I find the level of magical, non-scientific thinking among some medical personnel to be shocking. Not much anti-vaccine propaganda comes from biologists who have a good understanding of immunity, or epidemiologists. Rather they come from conspiracy-oriented folks, some of whom think hand washing a a plot by the Illuminati to control our minds through chemicals added to the soap.

People without any background in the subject have strongly-held opinions. They have no statistics, and would likely not understand what they mean if they did have them. And some of these people are counseling vulnerable patients on subjects such as vaccinations.

It's 1800 again. It's shocking.

For those so critical of the flu vaccine: I'd like to see some objective statistics on the efficacy, or lack thereof, of the vaccine. I'm not interested in your personal anecdote (which, for what it's worth, likely contradicts my personal experience).

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Specializes in Trauma, ER, ICU, CCU, PACU, GI, Cardiology, OR.

enlightening~

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A doctor from the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota writes in a brief letter

Research Doesn't Support Mandatory Influenza Vaccination

Full article in pdf form is available at this link:

http://www.wisconsinmedicalsociety.org/_WMS/publications/wmj/pdf/111/3/96.pdf

He concludes with a rather weak argument that he thinks an annual influenza vaccination is inconvenient to obtain for HCWs and sometimes even after vaccination an individual can still get influenza.

He does not seem to be concerned about the potential for influenza transmission from a HCW to an immune compromised patient even if only one patient is saved from infection.

With over 4000 hospitals in the US (link), hundreds and perhaps thousands of hospital patients could avoid nosocomial influenza if all HCWs were vaccinated.

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Specializes in Trauma, ER, ICU, CCU, PACU, GI, Cardiology, OR.
A doctor from the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota writes in a brief letter

Research Doesn't Support Mandatory Influenza Vaccination

Full article in pdf form is available at this link:

http://www.wisconsinmedicalsociety.org/_WMS/publications/wmj/pdf/111/3/96.pdf

He concludes with a rather weak argument that he thinks an annual influenza vaccination is inconvenient to obtain for HCWs and sometimes even after vaccination an individual can still get influenza.

He does not seem to be concerned about the potential for influenza transmission from a HCW to an immune compromised patient even if only one patient is saved from infection.

With over 4000 hospitals in the US (link), hundreds and perhaps thousands of hospital patients could avoid nosocomial influenza if all HCWs were vaccinated.

Worth looking into....just saying.

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He does not seem to be concerned about the potential for influenza transmission from a HCW to an immune compromised patient even if only one patient is saved from infection.

Economics. If money weren't an issue, shouldn't all healthcare workers be immunized for RSV? Sure, each shot is megabucks expensive, but if it saves one baby...

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Specializes in Trauma, ER, ICU, CCU, PACU, GI, Cardiology, OR.
Economics. If money weren't an issue, shouldn't all healthcare workers be immunized for RSV? Sure, each shot is megabucks expensive, but if it saves one baby...

Or two babies :cool:

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A few years back, a facility where I was employed offered flu vaccine to all employees. At the time, this was not a condition of employment, I was one of the first to get shot, however not all were willing to get vaccinated. No surprise there!

The point is, it was available, and not every one took advantage of it.

I guess I could say “You can lead a horse to water but you can not make him drink.”

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Specializes in Trauma, ER, ICU, CCU, PACU, GI, Cardiology, OR.

I guess I could say “You can lead a horse to water but you can not make him drink.”

I couldn't have said it better....Aloha~

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A doctor from the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota writes in a brief letter

Research Doesn't Support Mandatory Influenza Vaccination

Re the last paragraph: I've gotten a flu shot for a lot of years, and haven't found it to be the great inconvenience implied. In fact, if you work in a clinical setting, there will probably be a flu shot clinic set up. You can also drop in at many chain pharmacies and get a flu shot from the pharmacist. If you have insurance, the cost will likeky be covered. Even if it's not, the cost is not devastating.

"Influenza is a community-acquired disease, and standard infection control precautions (hand-washing, masking those with a cough, isolation, and visitor control) curb transmission in hospitals."

Those are all good ideas, and would that the were all practiced diligently. Even if they are, the flu shot adds to the margin of safety.

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Specializes in Trauma, ER, ICU, CCU, PACU, GI, Cardiology, OR.

Still the most important procedure is to place into practice, the universal precautions...just saying...Aloha~

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