H1N1 Vaccine Urged for Health Workers, But Some Resist Getting on Board

AS THE VACCINE TO PREVENT THE 2009influenzaA(H1N1)virushas become available in the United States, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has stressed that the firstdosesshouldbegiventocertaingroups.Onesuchgroup,healthcare workers, were designated as a priority group to receive the vaccine, not only to protectpatientsbutalso toprotect themselves and to reduce staff illness and absenteeism at a time when clinical workers may be desperately needed. “Personally, I feel like it’s an important part of quality of care, an opportunity not only to increase your chances of being able to come to work but to decrease your chances of transmitting an infectious agent to at-risk patients,” said Jay Butler, MD, director of the CDC’s H1N1 Vaccine Task Force. But many health care workers worldwide ignore standing advice that they should be vaccinated each year against seasonal influenza. If past behavior is any predictor of future actions, public health officials have reason to be concerned that physicians, nurses, and other health care personnel may not follow the CDC’s recommendations for immunization.