HEALTH

Flu message for physicians: Get the shot, lead by example

Health officials are confident the vaccine will be available during the critical months of the upcoming season.

By Stephanie Stapleton, AMNews staff. Oct. 11, 2004.

With flu season fast approaching, health officials are reminding physicians of the importance of the influenza vaccine -- for patients and for health professionals.

Based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance, the flu shot is recommended for an estimated 174 million Americans -- including those who are elderly, very young or immunocompromised, and those who work in the health care delivery system. Still, many people go without, leading to illness, complications and an average of 36,000 U.S. deaths each year. Additionally, in the last two decades, flu-related hospitalizations have increased from 114,000 to more than 200,000 annually.

"That's unacceptable," said AMA Trustee Herman I. Abromowitz, MD. He spoke at a Washington, D.C., briefing held last month by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases and the National Coalition for Adult Immunization.

Their message: Flu can be deadly but also can be prevented.

"The influenza virus ... must be taken seriously by the health care community, as well as the American public, every fall and every winter," said William Schaffner, MD, NFID board member and chair of the department of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tenn.

Physicians and other health workers, however, appear still to fall short when it comes to leading by example.

"Only 36% of health care professionals are being vaccinated for the flu," said Dr. Abromowitz. "As physicians, we must practice what we preach. When front-line health care professionals do not follow vaccination recommendations, the risks are great to ourselves, our families and our patients."

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