Jacobson Goes To Court Amid Anti
The broader battle over the validity of vaccination science reached a fever pitch during the smallpox outbreak. Anti-vaccination groups, citing alleged cases of death and deformity from bad reactions to smallpox vaccine, compulsory vaccination the greatest crime of the age, claiming that it slaughter tens of thousands of innocent children.
In response, newspaper editorials characterized the smallpox vaccination controversy as a conflict between intelligence and ignorance, civilization and barbarism. The New York Times dismissed anti-vaccine activists as a familiar species of cranks who were deficient in the power to judge .
It was against this heated backdrop that Jacobson fought his $5 fine, first in a state trial court and then by appeal in the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Jacobson wanted to present evidence that vaccines themselves were dangerous and ineffective, but the judges wouldnt hear it. Instead, Jacobsons chief argument became, Compulsion to introduce disease into a healthy system is a violation of liberty, specifically the personal liberty he believed was guaranteed by the U.S. and Massachusetts constitutions.
Those Who Shouldnt Get A Flu Vaccination
Most adults can have the injected flu vaccine, but you should avoid it if you have had a serious allergic reaction to a flu vaccine in the past. If you are uncertain whether you should avoid it due to a medical condition, you should speak to your GP.
You may be at risk of an allergic reaction to the flu vaccine injection if you have an egg allergy. This is because some flu vaccines are made using eggs. Ask a GP or pharmacist for a low-egg or egg-free vaccine.
If youre ill with a high temperature, its best to wait until youre better before having the flu vaccine.
Why Health Workers Need To Be Vaccinated
For most of us, vaccination is for individual protection. In the case of those caring for sick and vulnerable people such as children and the elderly, vaccination protects others from devastating illness, complications and even death.
Hospitals and aged care facilities can experience explosive outbreaks of influenza. Aged care facilities may have to close their doors to new admissions, which can also have a significant economic impact. Its also important that staff absenteeism in hospitals is kept low, especially in areas with limited specialist expertise.
Some argue vaccination of health workers is a moral duty, while others state individual freedom of choice is more important than protection of patients.
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A Guide To The Changing Science Of Flu Shots
The article was published in 2006 and she and her coauthors eventually persuaded the flu world that flu vaccine could not have such a big effect. Now shes occasionally asked why she had to bother writing the 2006 paper the findings it debunked, in 2016, seem so clearly flawed.
Jackson agreed with the argument made in this new paper. We cant say what the benefit is, said Jackson, who was not among the authors. All you can say is these other studies are a gross overestimation.
Swift said the fights over forcing health care workers to be vaccinated are also drawing needed attention from the pressing issue about flu vaccine. All this is trying to mandate that health care workers take the flu vaccine is well-intentioned, but is taking away resources and the focus on what our main priority needs to be, which is getting a better influenza vaccine.
Those Eligible For A Flu Vaccination
All social care workers who are in direct contact with people who receive care and support should get the vaccine, including:
- those working in a registered residential care or nursing home and who are directly involved in the care and support of people
- those working for a registered homecare provider and who are directly involved in the care and support of people
- those working for a voluntary managed hospice provider
- those employed through personal budgets and or personal health budgets, such as personal assistants
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Mandatory Flu Vaccine Policies: Dealing With Employees Who Refuse The Shot
Flu season is coming, and healthcare organizations may be asking whether they should have . If an employer decides to implement a mandatory program, the next question is how to administer it.
In the healthcare industry, mandatory vaccination programs for employees are common. A number of states require healthcare employers to offer the vaccine or to ensure that employees receive it . The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website tracks these various state laws and their requirements, and the CDC itself recommends that all health care workers get vaccinated .
However, mandatory doesnt always mean mandatory. In some circumstances, healthcare providers may have to grant exceptions to their mandatory vaccination programs. Federal and state discrimination laws require employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities and sincerely-held religious beliefs. Some employees may be medically unable to receive the flu vaccine. Others may have religious objections. Absent undue hardship, healthcare providers will need to create exceptions to their mandatory policies for employees as a reasonable accommodation for the employees disabilities or religious practices.
So how can healthcare employers implement mandatory flu vaccine policies? Every workplace and situation is different, but there are a few key points to keep in mind:
Should The Flu Vaccine Be Required For School
The flu is the lead story on the evening news and on the front page of newspapers.
The flu is big news because it’s bad this year. People all around the country are sick, and some are dying from the infection. For an explanation of why some people die very quickly see my colleague Josh Bloom’s piece: This Year’s Flu Is Different – It Kills In Two Ways.
And, it does not look like it’s slowing down anytime soon. Check out the red line in the graph below – it represents this year’s current cases and it is easy to see why people are nervous.
At this time 37 children have died from the flu. These are 37 tragic, heartbreaking stories of young loss of life. Each and every one brings tears to my eyes when I read them. You can read some of their stories here, here and here. Some experts predict the number of pediatric deaths this year will easily surpass 100.
So, what are we doing about it?
Some areas are closing schools in order to clean them and also to give overwhelmed school nurses a break. While keeping kids out of crowded areas is guaranteed to help, is this the best that we can do? The virus can only last on surfaces for 24 hours, according to the CDC. So, although a thorough cleaning may give you a nice clean school it won’t help that much with transmission of the flu.
In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state disaster emergency and issued an executive order, which allows pharmacists to give the vaccine to children.
References:
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Are Health Care Workers Refusing The Vaccine
Some health care workers do not want to give the COVID-19 vaccine despite public protests nearly a quarter of US healthcare workers do not want to use it. A total of 1,900 health care workers have refused the COVID-19 vaccine this month. A hospital may face a difficult situation because these people share demographic characteristics with other unvaccinated people.
The Pros And Cons Of Influenza Vaccination
In 2012, British Colombia became the first jurisdiction in Canada to institute a mandatory policy, that requires health-care workers in the province to either get the flu vaccine each year, or wear masks while caring for patients during the flu season, and it lasted approximately four months . Under this policy, anyone who does not abide by it will face discipline actions or even possible termination. Since then, there have been intensive debates around this policy. The supporting argument
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Dr William Ghalis Responses
I want to begin my response by describing a couple of analogous situations
Most parents with children going through our public school system are often asked to volunteer at their kids schools. There is usually a prerequisite in which the parent consents to the school undertaking a criminal record check. Such checks do represent the school invading the persons privacy to obtain information about them, but it is an action by the school board that is broadly endorsed, because its fundamental basis is to protect the well-being of our children . And the parents are not forced to consent to the criminal record check. They can opt out, and in doing so, opt out of the opportunity of volunteering in their childs school.
Reporting Process For Adult Day Health Programs Clinics Nursing Homes And Rest Homes
Adult day health programs, nursing homes, and rest homes submit influenza vaccination reports for health care personnel through the Virtual Gateways Health Care Facility Reporting System . For first-time users, a how-to guide is available to set up initial access to the HCFRS.
Clinics submit influenza vaccination reports through a web-based submission form via SurveyMonkey.
The deadline for submission of influenza vaccination reports is as follows:
- ADH programs: December 31, 2020
- Nursing homes and rest homes: February 28, 2021
- Clinics: August 15, 2021
For guidance about the submission process, references and resources, and a tracking tool to assist facilities in documenting, monitoring and tracking HCP influenza data throughout the flu season, please see:
- Ambulatory Surgical Centers: DPH 2020-2021 Seasonal Influenza Vaccination of Healthcare Personnel Guidance
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Quadrivalent Vaccines For Seasonal Flu
A quadrivalent flu vaccine administered by nasal mist was approved by the FDA in March 2012. Fluarix Quadrivalent was approved by the FDA in December 2012.
In 2014, the Canadian National Advisory Committee on Immunization published a review of quadrivalent influenza vaccines.
Starting with the 2018-2019 influenza season most of the regular-dose egg-based flu shots and all the recombinant and cell-grown flu vaccines in the United States are quadrivalent. In the 2019â2020 influenza season all regular-dose flu shots and all recombinant influenza vaccine in the United States are quadrivalent.
In November 2019, the FDA approved Fluzone High-Dose Quadrivalent for use in the United States starting with the 2020-2021 influenza season.
In February 2020, the FDA approved Fluad Quadrivalent for use in the United States. In July 2020, the FDA approved both Fluad and Fluad Quadrivalent for use in the United States for the 2020â2021 influenza season.
Pros And Cons Of Flu Vaccines
Flu vaccine flu vaccines should be mandatory for healthcare workers. Vaccines are known as a miracle of modern medicine. Vaccines are known to saving lives and wiping out many contagious diseases. There has been a long debate whether annual flu vaccine should be mandatory for all healthcare workers. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that all healthcare workers receive the vaccination against the flu to reduce spreading the virus to their colleagues, families and to the vulnerable
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Reader Comment: Mandatory Vaccines Are A Slippery Slope That Will Lead To Further Government Intrusion Into Our Lives Whats Next Mandatory Surgeries
I dont have much to say about this one other than to assert that people in the health-care field and in public health agencies are committing themselves through their lifes work to doing societally good things, just as people who design smartphones have enhanced our lives, and people who design and build roads and bridges safely have made life better by helping us get from A to B. Vaccination has been shown to be very safe and beneficial , so this is why so many are advocating for widespread vaccination. I do not believe that there is any agenda among people in the health field to inflict harm upon the public through the administration of known toxins, or forced invasive surgeries.
Health Care Workers Attitudes Toward Condition
Health care agencies may be reluctant to implement condition-of-service policies because of a concern about causing discontent among employees. However, among North American surveys each including more than 200 respondents published since 2010, 57%85% of health care workers supported or strongly supported influenza vaccination as a condition of service. Support for condition-of-service policies is associated with increased knowledge of influenza vaccine science,,, a lengthier career in health care, and more exposure to seriously ill patients with influenza, emphasizing that education is a critically important component for gaining employee acceptance when condition-of-service policies are introduced. Health care workers who work in a setting with an immunization mandate are also more likely to support such a mandate., Perhaps surprisingly, in some surveys, a significant minority of unvaccinated workers have reported being in favour of condition-of-service policies.,,
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The Pros And Cons Of The Flu Vaccination
Is the flu vaccination really necessary to get? This is a question a lot of people may ask themselves before getting vaccinated. People wonder if the flu vaccination really helps or if it just makes one sick. Many people suffer and even die from having influenza each year. There are positive and negative outcomes from getting the flu vaccination.Many people are unaware of how badly the flu has affected peoples lives. According to Skeptical Raptor in the year 2015 and 2016, 27 thousand people
Everyone 6 Months And Older Should Get The Flu Shot
The flu shot is your best defence against the flu. The flu shot is recommended for everyone 6 months of age and older.
It can save lives by:
- protecting you, if you’re exposed to the virus
- preventing you from getting very sick
- protecting people close to you:
- because you’re less likely to spread the virus
- who are at higher risk of serious flu complications if they get the flu
The flu shot wont protect you against COVID-19.
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Reader Comment: You Have No Right To Force Anyone To Get The Flu Its Wrong And Contravenes Our Individual Rights To Our Own Body
There have in fact been legal challenges to jurisdictions imposing a mandatory vaccination regulation on its health care workers. In the fairly recent case of unsuccessful challenges to the B.C. policy of mandatory health-care worker vaccination, a key position of the court was that the rights of individuals end abruptly if the assertion of those rights brings harm to other individuals.
Pros And Cons Of Influenza Vaccines
influenza or flu, is a respiratory infection that has A or B viruses. The symptoms include soreness, cough, chills, fever, sweating, and most cold symptoms. A way to prevent the flu is to get the influenza vaccination. Influenza vaccines are essential to all people because the flu can be dangerously fatal to some people. But the real question is: should flu shots be mandatory for nurses? As it was stated before, it is essential to all people. Which means all workers in the hospital society should have to
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People At High Risk Of Complications From The Flu
- people with health conditions, such as:
- cancer and other immune compromising conditions
- diabetes
- kidney disease
- neurological or neurodevelopmental conditions
- children up to 18 years of age undergoing treatment for long periods with acetylsalicylic acid
What This Means For Employers
Our view remains that employers should focus on comprehensive risk assessments in the context of their own operations, rather than case law coming out of the FWC, to determine whether mandating vaccination is appropriate.
However, employers in high-risk workplaces can feel more confident that, considering and consulting with staff mandatory vaccinations against influenza is at least a sensible step towards ensuring the safety of their employees and clients/customers.
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Who Sets Vaccine Recommendations
Every year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention publish a recommended immunization schedule for the United States. This schedule is put together by a panel of 15 experts known as the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices .
The ACIP panel is comprised of experts in medical and public health fields, including doctors, researchers, infectious disease specialists, and community representatives.
The schedule is intended to provide people with the maximum protection from vaccine-preventable diseases as safely as possible. The schedule is organized according to the age ranges in which the recommended vaccinations should be administered.
Currently, there are 16 vaccines recommended by the ACIP, scheduled from birth through the age of 18.
This schedule is updated every year to ensure that it is always based on the most up-to-date research. Medical professionals across the country use it to immunize their patients, and state governments follow the recommendations to determine which vaccines should be required for school.
Northern Hemisphere Influenza Season
The composition of trivalent virus vaccines for use in the 2017â2018 Northern Hemisphere influenza season recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on August 25, 2017, was:
- an A/Michigan/45/2015 pdm09âlike virus
- an A/Hong Kong/4801/2014 -like virus
- a B/Brisbane/60/2008âlike virus
In addition to these components, quadrivalent vaccines will also include a B/Phuket/3073/2013âlike virus .
In California, some emergency systems were strained by a spike in H3N2 flu cases. In addition, some areas experienced local shortages of oseltamivir. The severity of the flu season seemed somewhat comparable to the 2009â10 swine flu outbreak. A February 2018 CDC interim report estimated the vaccine effectiveness to be 25% against H3N2, 67% against H1N1, and 42% against influenza B.
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