Nursing home workers were worst among similar employee groups in geting a flu vaccine last season, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials. The agency handed out a “report card” in late September.
While 72% of healthcare workers overall and 90% of physicians were vaccinated last year, only 59% of long-term care employees got shots. “Non-medical personnel” dragged down averages overall at healthcare facilities.
“If you are around people at high risk for flu complications, you need to get vaccinated. And nowhere is this need clearer than in our nation’s hospitals, clinics and long-term care facilities,” said Anne Schuchat, M.D., MPH, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, during a Washington press conference. Last season the flu hit earlier than expected.
From the November 01, 2013 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
