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Surveys of healthcare workers in Hong Kong reveal that a majority would refuse the vaccination, raising questions about the status of front line health workers in this country.
Vivienne Parry, Member of JCVI (Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation) and science writer and broadcaster, said:
“There are three reasons why flu vaccination should be offered to NHS front line healthcare staff. To protect NHS staff from illness, to ensure that patient services are not disrupted by high levels of staff illness and to protect vulnerable patients from infections carried by those caring for them. This last aspect does not seem to feature at all in medical staff responses about flu vaccination which is extremely concerning. Indeed the word ‘patient’ hardly seems to figure at all in responses in this and other surveys of healthcare workers, even though 75% of deaths from swine flu are in those with serious underlying medical conditions who are in regular contact with healthcare workers.
“Current uptake of seasonal flu vaccine (which has a very low incidence of side effects) by NHS frontline staff is just 16.5%.”
Prof Robert Dingwall, Director, Institute for Science and Society, University of Nottingham, said:
“The Chor study underlines the extent to which there is no universal global understanding of the proper balance between health professionals’ self-interest and the interests of patients and the wider society. The various surveys and polls that are appearing offer snapshots of what respondents think they might do, if faced with an immediate decision about vaccination. However, real decisions will be made in a future context where health professionals have better information about the safety of the vaccine and opportunities to reflect on their responsibilities towards their patients and the functioning of major social institutions. Since this context has not yet been put in place, it is important not to get these findings out of proportion. They identify a communication challenge for those managing the pandemic but they are not evidence of a crisis of confidence in the vaccine or of professional irresponsibility by health workers.”