Mandated Flu vaccine?

Nurses COVID

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Hi- Just received a blanket email yesterday that my hospital in VA is requiring ALL STAFF involved in patient care to get the flu vaccine this year. (incl nurses, physicians, clinical aides etc) I always get the vaccine voluntarily but feels wrong that this can be mandated. I still intend to get it. Is this legal? I remember something similar involving a group of NY Nurses some time back.:uhoh3:

Specializes in Med/Surg.
There are many additives and chemicals that have been added to vaccines that can cause allergic reactions and/or flu like symptoms:

aluminum salts, help the vaccine to work better

human serum albumin, help stabilize live viruses in the vaccine

formaldehyde, antibiotics, egg proteins and yeast proteins, are left over in residual amounts from the way that vaccines are made

I will never take the regular flu vaccine again as I got extremely sick within 24 hours after injection 3 years in a row. Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea - I would have been better off getting the flu

I don't think it should be mandatory because I still do believe in the right not to be injected with something if I so choose.

Since you quoted my post, I assume you're directing this to me. I do know that people can have REACTIONS (and/or FLU-LIKE SYMPTOMS) to flu shots. This, however, is not the same as getting the flu....so I'm not sure how that relates to what I said? Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea are not influenza. I can understand why having a reaction would make you not want to get any more flu shots, that is within your rights, and I respect that. What I am talking about, though, is people saying "I got the flu because I got a flu shot."

I don't know if you'd have been "better off getting the flu," though. There are many complications that can come along with influenza, and influenza by itself is a serious illness. I guess I don't see how N/V/D is worse than that.

I also agree that it shouldn't be mandatory, and that we as grown adults can and should be given the choice about anything we ingest.

That's quite the coincidence. :twocents:

Are you saying that it really *isn't* a coincidence? I'm not sure what you mean, so I'm asking for clarification.

The injectable influenza vaccine is an INACTIVE virus. Not the same as FluMist (the nasal spray)....that is a WEAKENED virus. An inactive/dead virus CANNOT make you develop influenza.

So, yes, I got the flu shortly after I got vaccinated. There could be several reasons for this: one, the vaccination did not have enough time to become effective in my system before I got the flu; I may have already been exposed to influenza but not yet showing symptoms when I received the vacc. I am not sure what the incubation period is for influenza, but I may have been in that phase at the time. Two, remember, this was the year that H1N1 was rampant. The vaccines already produced for that year likely weren't going to be effective against that strain, as it was too new. It's only an educated guess what strains go in to the vaccinations yearly, and it is impossible to include every single one, especially strains that are new and didn't exist at the time that they were formulating the newest vaccine.

It may have been "quite a coincidence," but that doesn't make it anything but.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
So why should I get a vaccine if it isn't a sure thing against the flu :confused:?

In the general population killed virus vaccines are 70-90% effective. Are you saying we shouldn't do it because it's not 100%? Hand washing isn't 100% effective either, should we stop hand washing?

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Specializes in cardiac, ICU, education.
Nausea and aches are no fun, but I don't agree that patients should risk death so that we don't have to risk some discomfort.

Then start with handwashing. Only half of the people in hospitals do it consistently and there is no reprimand for not doing it correctly. Focusing on hand washing is cheaper and safer than flu vaccines, and it will probably get rid of the flu more efficiently.

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Specializes in Med/Surg.
So why should I get a vaccine if it isn't a sure thing against the flu :confused:?

Because it is still better than nothing!

People underestimate the severity of influenza. I think that is because people call ANY upper respiratory infection that includes a fever "the flu." I am an otherwise healthy person; my immune system isn't compromised in any way. I was still VERY ill when I had the flu. Protecting your patients from it in ANY way you can is important. Obviously, once you KNOW you have the flu, you wouldn't be at work, but you can be infected and spreading it around before you manifest symptoms. To someone who is compromised, influenza can be deadly.

People love to throw around the phrases. "Oh, I have the flu." "I think I have the flu." etc, etc. A lot of times, I'd venture to say even MOST of the time, they don't actually have it. People call stomach bugs "the flu," even though it is an respiratory illness (yes, it can cause GI symptoms, but gastroenteritis by itself is NOT the flu). People get colds and say "I have the flu." That takes away from people taking it seriously. They put it at the same level as the common cold. You only really know/learn the difference if you have had it. Once you have, you'll do what you can (ie, get vaccinated) to help make sure you don't get it again.

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Everybody masking up and handwashing prevents spread of what the flu vax covers AND all sorts of other bugs.

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Specializes in cardiac, ICU, education.
In the general population killed virus vaccines are 70-90% effective. Are you saying we shouldn't do it because it's not 100%?

I think you should have a choice. If I don't have a choice then all nurses must do everything they can to stop harm to patients:

1. Nurses must stop smoking because even the second hand smoke on their clothes affects patients and over 443,000 Americans (over 18 percent of all deaths) die because of smoking each year. Secondhand smoke kills about 50,000 of them (WHO)

Tobacco use will kill 1 billion people in the 21st century if current smoking trends continue.

2. Stop speeding, texting and talking on phone when driving because you may kill a patient on the way to the hospital.

3. Eat better and loose weight because people who are in optimal health have better immune systems and can fight off disease better and then those who are overweight and then they do not pass diseases along to their patients.

See where I am going? I know it is a bit overkill, but I am tired of the higher ups picking and choosing what I MUST do with my body. This whole issues is a matter of one world view vs. another.

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Then start with handwashing. Only half of the people in hospitals do it consistently and there is no reprimand for not doing it correctly. Focusing on hand washing is cheaper and safer than flu vaccines, and it will probably get rid of the flu more efficiently.

Hand washing is always a good thing. However, if someone with the flu (or someone who has yet to show symptoms yet is infected nevertheless) sneezes or coughs in your vicinity, you are going to be exposed no matter how clean your hands are. Influenza is primarily spread in this manner, though it is also possible to pick it up through touching an infected surface, then touching your nose or mouth.

Also, I am amazed at the number of nurses who claim they got the flu from the vaccine. It is NOT possible for a DEAD virus to replicate, therefore a flu vaccine cannot cause influenza. Did these people sleep through their classes on infection?

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i think you should have a choice. if i don't have a choice then all nurses must do everything they can to stop harm to patients:

1. nurses must stop smoking because even the second hand smoke on their clothes affects patients and over 443,000 americans (over 18 percent of all deaths) die because of smoking each year. secondhand smoke kills about 50,000 of them (who)

tobacco use will kill 1 billion people in the 21st century if current smoking trends continue.

2. stop speeding, texting and talking on phone when driving because you may kill a patient on the way to the hospital.

3. eat better and loose weight because people who are in optimal health have better immune systems and can fight off disease better and then those who are overweight and then they do not pass diseases along to their patients.

see where i am going? i know it is a bit overkill, but i am tired of the higher ups picking and choosing what i must do with my body. this whole issues is a matter of one world view vs. another.

i think that is a fantastic idea. you have a problem with this or think it's "overkill?!"

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Specializes in Critical Care.
Then start with handwashing. Only half of the people in hospitals do it consistently and there is no reprimand for not doing it correctly. Focusing on hand washing is cheaper and safer than flu vaccines, and it will probably get rid of the flu more efficiently.

Influenza is spread mainly through droplet transmission, so even perfect hand hygiene compliance would have little effect on reducing influenza transmission.

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That's quite the coincidence. :twocents:

No, it's really not. If you have an understanding of influenza, incubation periods, the human immune system, and the flu vaccine, it's not difficult at all to understand how one can get the vaccine, still get the flu, and yet understand that correlation does NOT equal causation.

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Mandatory and if you do not get it you can not work until you have either a note from an MD stating why you can not get it (which then has to be approved) or you get it. This has been the rule for the last 3 years.

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Specializes in critical care/tele/emergency.

Required for all in patient care. Exemption: allergies or religious belief and then you will be required to wear a mask from Oct-Mar.

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