Flu Vaccination Rates Low Among Long-Term Care Workers
September 22, 2015
Flu vaccination rates remain too low among health care personnel working in long-term care settings, new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows.
The CDC reports that only 63.9 percent of long-term care workers were vaccinated during the 2014-15 flu season, the lowest percentage among health care settings. Overall, 77.3 percent of health care personnel received a vaccine.
“Low rates in these settings are of great concern since it puts some of the nation’s most vulnerable patients at greater risk of getting the flu,” a September 17 press release from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases said.
“Health care personnel in long-term care settings also were least likely to report that their employer required vaccination or made it available onsite,” the press release added.
A toolkit designed to help long-term care employers promote the flu vaccine among their staff is available on the CDC website.
