More nurses need to get their ‘flu jab to help protect vulnerable patients, and others from the ‘flu this winter says the National Influenza Specialist Group*.
The influenza vaccination rate of nurses in district health boards did increase slightly from 42 per cent in 2011 to 46 per cent in 2012 (the average rate for all DHB health workers in 2012 was 48 per cent).
But virologist and NISG spokesman Lance Jennings said nurse vaccination levels still needed to improve to protect vulnerable patients, staff, families/whanau and friends.
He said Canterbury District Health Board had shown that a higher uptake was possible with 60 per cent of its nurses and 74 per cent of midwives vaccinated in 2012, which was much closer to the levels needed to protect the people most at risk.
“Influenza should not be underestimated. It is a serious disease which can lead to hospitalisation and sometimes death. And I’m sure no healthcare worker would want to be responsible for causing such harm to their patients.”
He said the very and the very young were especially at risk from complications of influenza.
“That’s why those of us in close contact with these people need to be immunised to reduce the spread of the infection and the likelihood of them picking it up. You can still spread influenza without even knowing you have it.”
NISG and the Ministry of Health strongly encourage all nurses and midwives to be vaccinated this year.
“Research tells us that recommendation from a health professional is the best way to encourage people to be vaccinated,” said Jennings.
“So, we’d really like to see more nurses and midwives advocating immunisation to their patients and others. We know there are already some great immunisation champions out there and they make a noticeable difference to uptake in some areas.”
Jenning said the group was also aware that many people believe they can develop a ‘natural immunity’ to influenza but being healthy won’t stop people from getting the ‘flu.
“You are never too fit to get hit. You can only be immune to a particular strain of the virus if you’ve had it before. And, as the virus strains keep changing each year, most people are unlikely to have natural immunity. That’s why annual immunisation is so important to give protection from the strains most likely to circulate in New Zealand.”
The group also reiterates that influenza immunisation cannot give you the ‘flu because it does not contain live viruses.
The influenza vaccine for 2013 Southern Hemisphere season includes two new strains based upon recommendations from the World Health Organisation. The vaccine this year includes:
- A/California/7/2009(H1N1) pdm09-like virus
- A/Victoria/361/2011(H3N2)-like virus (new strain for 2013
- B/Wisconsin/1/2010-like virus (new strain for 2013).
*The NISG was formed in 2000 by the Ministry of Health to increase public awareness of influenza and the importance of immunisation to prevent the ‘flu.
