Position Statement: Influenza Vaccination of Healthcare Workers

Influenza Vaccination of Healthcare Workers

Statement date: 28 January 2015

The Immunisation Coalition (IC) 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 IC supports the concept of mandatory healthcare worker (HCW) vaccination to protect HCWs and their patients from influenza, across all healthcare settings.
2. The IC 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 IC’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 IC supports the concept of mandatory HCW vaccination to protect HCWs and their patients from influenza, across all healthcare settings.

The IC believes that the health system should embrace HCW vaccination as a core safety practice to protect staff and patients. Therefore, the IC 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 IC 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.