Dr. Bob Sears on Mandating Flu Vaccine for Healthcare Professionals
Posted Oct 25 2010 12:00am
Read and comment on Dr. Bob Sears' Flu Vaccines: Should They Be Mandatory For Health Care Professionals? on Huffington Post HERE .
The American Academy of Pediatrics issued a statement on September 13, 2010, supporting a policy of mandatory flu vaccination for all health care workers (allowing for medical exemptions, of course). They state that it is "ethically justified, necessary and long overdue to ensure patient safety." I agree that the flu vaccine is important. I agree that it is useful for health care workers to get a flu vaccine in order to lower their chance of catching the flu and passing the illness to patients. A doctor, such as myself, would be contagious for a day or two before even feeling sick. Then when I did get sick, I'd likely keep working if my symptoms were minor. I'd wash my hands and wear a mask, but I'd still be exposing some patients. Of course, with a fever or severe flu symptoms, I'd take a few days off (like last year, when I caught the H1N1flu, I took a Friday off and was back to feeling normal by Sunday). So I'm not arguing that the flu shot isn't important for health care workers. Those who choose to not be vaccinated should take some extra responsibility to take time off work if they do catch the flu.
What I take exception to is the thought that the government or medical boards would make it mandatory. Absolutely, without exception, lose-your-license-if-you-don't-comply, mandatory. That makes me shiver. I could understand such a policy if the flu vaccine was 100 percent harmless to every single person that got one. But it isn't. There are very rare but very severe, even fatal, reactions to the vaccine every year. There are a lot more fatalities from the actual flu then there are severe vaccine reactions, but nevertheless the vaccine does have some element of risk....
The American Academy of Pediatrics issued a statement on September 13, 2010, supporting a policy of mandatory flu vaccination for all health care workers (allowing for medical exemptions, of course). They state that it is "ethically justified, necessary and long overdue to ensure patient safety." I agree that the flu vaccine is important. I agree that it is useful for health care workers to get a flu vaccine in order to lower their chance of catching the flu and passing the illness to patients. A doctor, such as myself, would be contagious for a day or two before even feeling sick. Then when I did get sick, I'd likely keep working if my symptoms were minor. I'd wash my hands and wear a mask, but I'd still be exposing some patients. Of course, with a fever or severe flu symptoms, I'd take a few days off (like last year, when I caught the H1N1flu, I took a Friday off and was back to feeling normal by Sunday). So I'm not arguing that the flu shot isn't important for health care workers. Those who choose to not be vaccinated should take some extra responsibility to take time off work if they do catch the flu.
What I take exception to is the thought that the government or medical boards would make it mandatory. Absolutely, without exception, lose-your-license-if-you-don't-comply, mandatory. That makes me shiver. I could understand such a policy if the flu vaccine was 100 percent harmless to every single person that got one. But it isn't. There are very rare but very severe, even fatal, reactions to the vaccine every year. There are a lot more fatalities from the actual flu then there are severe vaccine reactions, but nevertheless the vaccine does have some element of risk....