Prevention is the best way to avoid the flu season from spiraling out of control. The seasonal flu shot is an effective, readily available vaccine. Who should receive the flu shot? Everyone 6 months and older should be vaccinated, unless they are allergic to a component of the vaccine.

According to a recent report, 71% of employees in acute care hospitals received the flu shot during the 2010-2011 season, a number far below the Public Health Council’s expectation. This statistic has caused many health facilities to debate whether or not to mandate flu shots for all employees. The desired employee vaccination rate is higher than 90% and no lower than 73%.

The philosophy behind mandatory vaccinations is to keep hospital employees from spreading the flu to patients. It is also a measure to prevent caregivers from getting sick amid a flu outbreak. While many believe that vaccinating health care workers is for the public good, others feel that it is a violation of civil rights to force someone to have something unwillingly injected into their body.

While the American Medical Association (AMA), Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and US Department of Defense endorse mandatory flu vaccinations, the American Nurses Association (ANA) does not; however, they do state, “receiving them [flu shots] is the ethical duty of every nurse.”

According to Dr. Alan Woodward, past president of the Massachusetts Medical Society and a member of the state Public Health Council,

“Health care workers are very prone to be vectors, transmitting the disease to others, and they can be infectious before they show symptoms.”

The authors of the October 2011 print issue of Pediatrics state,

“Mandatory influenza immunization for all healthcare personnel is ethically justified, necessary, and long overdue to ensure patient safety.”

Currently, many medical facilities require hospital workers to be vaccinated or sign a waiver declining the flu shot. Medical and religious exemptions are allowed. Infectious disease specialists suggest one tactic to increase compliance; any employee, whether or not they deliver direct patient care, who refuses the flu shot should be required to wear a surgical mask during the entire flu season whenever they were within 6 feet of another person. In some areas, vaccination compliance went from 70% to 96% in 8 weeks because of the mask nuisance.

In July 2011, two Massachusetts hospitals, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Children’s Hospital Boston made a “bold decision” to require flu shots as a condition of employment. Medical conditions and religious beliefs are conditions for exemption. If an exemption is granted, the suggested surgical mask policy is enforced. Failure to comply will result in disciplinary action and possible termination.

So, is a mandatory flu shot policy for health care workers protecting public health or does it violate the civil right of employees?