Vaccination practices and influenza in professional football players in Greece

BACKGROUND: There is limited data on vaccination practices for professional footballers globally. AIMS: To record vaccination practices employed by medical staff of individual football teams of the Super League Greece, and absenteeism of footballers related to influenza illness. METHODS: A brief questionnaire was distributed to chief medical officers (CMOs) of the sixteen teams of the Super League Greece. Participants were asked to report vaccines they recommended for footballers. In addition, the questionnaire included questions on new cases of influenza and absenteeism due to influenza. Descriptive statistics (absolute and relative frequencies) were used for the presentation of the results. RESULTS: Overall, 87% of the CMOs recommended seasonal influenza vaccine, 62% hepatitis B vaccine and 50% pneumococcal vaccine. Fourteen CMOs (87%) reported that the occurrence of seasonal influenza in the 2016-17 northern hemisphere season ranged from one to five cases, while two medical officers (12%) reported zero workdays lost due to influenza. CONCLUSIONS: Our survey shows considerable variation in vaccination practices of CMOs of the Super League Greece. The results of this survey should stimulate further evaluation of vaccination policy and influenza-related absenteeism in footballers.