Symposium on Influenza Immunization in the Healthcare Workplace

The majority of the approximately 150 people who attended the symposium, after listening to the speakers and participating in debate, recommended that Alberta adopt some form of compulsory choice regarding vaccination of healthcare workers against influenza to protect Alberta patients and healthcare workers. [...] The symposium that took place on June 11, 2014 at the University of Calgary Faculty of Medicine, was the beneficiary of the indefatigable and dedicated work of members of the Office of Continuing Education: Ms. [...] Thomas, a professor in the University of Calgary Department of Family Medicine and contributor to a Cochrane Collaboration systematic review, presented a review of literature relating to the effect of vaccination on the prevention of influenza infection in long-term care facilities. [...] McGeer presented the results of two systematic reviews3132 of the five randomized controlled trials of the effect of healthcare worker vaccination on patient mortality and morbidity. [...] Because of: 1. difficulty in diagnosing influenza and identifying it in time to take droplet contact precautions; 2. the higher risk of illness and adverse events from lack of vaccination compared to vaccination itself; 3. the efficacy of the vaccination in preventing serious illness, hospitalization and death;.