C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health finds nearly 90% of public supports required H1N1 vaccination for health care workers in case of outbreak, while only 38% of health care workers intend to get vaccinated
As H1N1 influenza vaccine begins to be shipped across the country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention emphasize getting the first doses to high-priority groups. One such group is health care workers. A report released today by the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health shows 87 percent of the public believes health care workers should be required to be vaccinated against H1N1 flu in case of an outbreak, while only 38 percent of health care workers intend to get the H1N1 flu vaccine.
"We have heard from public health experts and health care workers -- and now we see how strongly the public feels about their health care workers getting vaccinated against H1N1 flu," says Matthew Davis, M.D., M.A.P.P., director of the poll and associate professor of pediatrics and internal medicine in the Child Health Evaluation and Research Unit at the U-M Medical School. "The public clearly expects health care workers to lead by example."
The poll also finds that, even among health care workers, there are misconceptions about vaccination and treatment for both seasonal and H1N1 flu.
Results show health care workers were more likely than other adults polled to say they would not get vaccinated against H1N1 flu because there are medications to treat H1N1 illness, and because they plan to get the seasonal flu vaccine and therefore believe they would not need the H1N1 flu vaccine.