Requiring annual vaccination of health workers against influenza -- Why?

In 1989, APHA took a leadership role with its recommendation that that institutions that train health professionals, deliver health care, or provide laboratory or other medical support services require appropriate immunizations for personnel at risk for contracting or transmitting vaccine-preventable illnesses. The next decade saw little progress in raising vaccination coverage of health workers. But since the turn of the century, other professional associations have increasingly called for such requirements, as more and more providers/employers implement requirements each year. A growing literature demonstrates the essential role of requirements in achieving vaccination coverage that is adequate for community protection (herd immunity) in health care settings--to ensure both worker safety and patient safety. In 2010, APHA explicitly reaffirmed its position vis a vis influenza vaccination by an 82% vote of the Governing Council that explicitly rejected individuals' declining vaccination for nonmedical reasons. Preceding the vote, multiple state affiliates, caucuses, and Sections endorsed the position statement, including the Public Health Nursing Section (who initiated the proposal), the Epidemiology Section, the School Health Services & Education Section, the Health Administration Section, the HIV/AIDS Section, the Aging and Public Health Section, the Environment Section, the Medical Care Section, the Vision Care Section, the Maternal Child Health Section, the Health Law SPIG, and members from the Ethics SPIG and the Public Health Education and Promotion Section. This poster will summarize the 4-pronged rationale that provides the foundation for recommending requirements: ethics, social justice, law, and science (including epidemiology, vaccinology, and infection control).