SEASONAL INFLUENZA VACCINATION ATTITUDES AMONG HEALTHCARE WORKERS

Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Attitudes among Healthcare Workers

ABSTRACT

Influenza is a global disease that travels rapidly. It may be carried by migrating birds that then communicate it to other species and then to humans. Outbreaks occur annually, spreading around the world through contact with travellers. Great number of people is sickened every year with a large annual death toll. Economic losses from lost wages and healthcare costs are very large. Vaccines made from killed influenza viruses have been the most common. However, this type of vaccine has only a limited effectiveness. Research in the 1970s led to the development of live influenza vaccines. These have been more effective in combating the disease. Annual vaccination against flu is the best preventative strategy; however, some antiviral drugs have also been developed. These drugs can also be used to fight the influenza virus because they have a chemoprophylaxis effect. Amantadine, oseltamivir, rimantadine, and zanamivir are the only antiviral agents licensed in Hong Kong. Other antiviral drugs are used in other countries. Like most drugs, all of them carry the possibility of negative side effects.

Healthcare workers are at great risk because of influenza that is why there are number of researches being conducted these days on the topic of Influenza Vaccination among Healthcare Workers and their attitude.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION4

Overview4

Purpose of Study8

Research Question8

Scope of Study8

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW10

Background10

Mortality and hospitalisation data15

Seasonal Influenza Vaccine17

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY19

Study Design19

Sample19

Survey equipment and administration19

Data Analysis20

CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION26

Reviews26

Mandating Individual Healthcare Worker Vaccination29

Mandating Institutional Vaccination Programmes31

Results34

Respondent Data34

Receipt of cyclic indumenta vaccination34

Kab Regarding Seasonal in?uenza Disease and Seasonal in?uenza Vaccine35

Awareness of nationwide recommendation for HCP vaccination35

Benefits for Health Care Providers38

Discussion40

Vaccination Reduces Seasonal Influenza Burden44

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION46

Conclusion46

Recommendations47

Limitations49

Future Research50

REFERENCES51

APPENDIX57

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Overview

The World Health Organisation (WHO) Report of 2004 showed that, in 2002, approximately eighteen percent of all deaths were due to respiratory causes. In Hong Kong, the study titled, “Burden of Influenza study carried out by the Chinese Thoracic Society (CTS) demonstrated that respiratory diseases killed one in five people in 2004. The CTS study also found that influenza cost the National Health Service (NHS) £6.6 × 109 in 2004 (Finch, 2007, 41). Similar data are not available in Hong Kong. The year 2006 was the 10th and 20th anniversary of the Hong Kong Lung Foundation and the Hong Kong Thoracic Society, respectively. The scientific subcommittee of the Hong Kong Thoracic Society proposed that a burden of influenza study be carried out to provide comprehensive information from available data on the incidence, consequence and trend of influenza in Hong Kong to increase the awareness of influenza locally and to assist authorities in informed policy-making.

This is a report of the mortality and hospitalisation rates of respiratory disease in Hong Kong in 2005, their trend in the past decade and the incidence or prevalence of selected respiratory diseases and their major risk factors (De Juanes, Garcia de Codes, Arrazola, Jaen, Sanz, Gonzalez, 2007, 201).

Influenza, or “flu” for short, is a contagious viral disease that affects ...