Flu vaccinations still too low among healthcare workers

Flu vaccine coverage is inadequate for healthcare workers, according to a report published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Researchers, led by Carla L. Black, Ph.D., of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, used an opt-in Internet panel survey to determine influenza vaccination coverage for healthcare personnel during the 2013-2014 flu season. They found overall coverage was 75.2 percent, similar to rates measured over the last two years. Coverage among nurses improved from both 2012 to 2013 and 2013 to 2014, but rates were low among certain subgroups, including assistants/aides (57.7 percent), long-term care workers (63 percent) and those whose workplaces didn't offer free on-site vaccinations (49 percent). Report