Influenza and Health Care Workers

The IHP this academic year has been part of a major effort by affiliates of the Partners HealthCare system to vaccinate all employees against influenza.

While requiring employees to get a flu shot might seem like an insignificant requirement, Partners entities including the IHP are working to protect patients, students, and employees from the negative consequences of influenza.

The Centers for Disease Control estimates that there are as many as 49 million cases of the flu each year in the United States. In 2017-2018, the flu sent almost one million people to the hospital for care which resulted in approximately 80,000 deaths. Because many who get the flu already are sick, the actual number of deaths may be significantly higher due to hospitals listing a person’s primary chronic illness as the cause. 

Although children, the elderly, and infirm are at the highest risk, the majority of those who die from the flu are adults who are relatively healthy. Clearly, the personal, social, institutional, and economic impact of influenza is significant. 

Surprisingly, in non-mandatory health care settings, the vaccination rate of health care workers is not high. For the 2017-2018 flu season, coverage nationally among health care personnel was 78.4%. The spread of the influenza virus happens mainly by droplets when people cough, sneeze, or talk, and it can reach people as far as six feet away. While the normal duration of flu symptoms is 7-10 days, most people can infect others for 1-2 days before their symptoms develop and for 5-7 days after becoming ill.  As health care providers with regular contact with individuals whose health is compromised, we put our patients in grave danger if we haven’t taken this important precautionary step.

Last summer, the policy requiring all Partners employees receive the influenza immunization by November 30, 2018, was instituted. There are only exemptions are for those with deeply held religious beliefs against immunization, and those with medical contraindications.

I am pleased to report that 100% of IHP faculty and staff, who did not cite one of the two above conditions, received their flu shot, while the compliance rate at all Partners affiliates is 99.9%. Thank you for doing your part to keep everyone whom you treat and meet as safe as possible.