Flu Vaccination Rates Low Among Health Care Aides and Assistants

Flu vaccination rates among long-term care assistants and aides are far behind those of other health care professionals, a report from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found.

During the 2013-14 flu season, only 54.7 percent of long-term care workers who fall in the category of “assistant/aide” received vaccinations, the report showed.

By contrast, the occupational group “other clinical personnel,” which includes “allied health professionals, technicians, and technologists,” were vaccinated at an 89.4 percent rate.

At a September 18 press conference, CDC director Dr. Thomas Friedan said that “immunization rates are still lagging in nursing homes, long-term care facilities, among allied health workers, and people who work at various levels of the hospital.

“There’s more to be done there,” he added.

The CDC recommends that everyone six months of age and older receive a flu vaccine every flu season.

— by Matthew Ozga