Posted on 11/14/2009 5:14:44 PM PST by george76
thousands of nurses and other front-line healthcare workers are fighting mandatory flu immunization policies being put in place by some U.S. hospitals.
The H1N1 pandemic, which has killed about 3,900 Americans so far, has stoked tensions over the best way to safeguard medical caregivers and their patients from flu. Nurses unions have won some early battles against compulsory vaccination.
data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that only about 40 percent of U.S. healthcare workers ever get shots for seasonal influenza.
mandating that healthcare workers get vaccines is misguided, ineffective and ultimately counterproductive.
"There is no evidence that vaccination of healthcare workers in hospitals or outpatient settings has any impact whatsoever on patients," said Dr. Melanie Swift, head of occupational health for Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Tennessee. "You've got to vaccinate the patients."
Healthcare workers unions are challenging compulsory flu vaccine policies with some success.
The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics was ordered to halt its mandatory program this month after unions for nearly 5,000 employees there won two binding arbitration rulings that struck down the policy as a contract violation.
Last month, a New York judge sided with a nurses union and issued a court order against a statewide policy requiring flu shots for all medical workers...
Nurses unions also have filed lawsuits against HCA hospitals on behalf of its members in California and Nevada.
Critics of mandatory immunization say the danger posed in hospitals by influenza pales in comparison to many other bugs lurking in medical facilities.
The CDC reports 1.7 million people are stricken each year by all manner of hospital-acquired infections, such as pneumonia, and 99,000 of those die. The number of flu cases among them is unknown but believed to be very small.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
I know a family with two sons who should be entering college about now, both were perfectly normal until receiving a certain vaccination. I can’t remember now what the vaccine was for but both had the shot at the same time and both have been diagnosed with extreme autism since shortly afterward. Neither one speaks now, one seems rather normal at a glance, he is quiet generally, the other is given to spells of making meaningless noises and swinging his head from side to side, he looks retarded at first glance. The parents are convinced that the vaccine was the cause, what are the chances of two normal children of the same parents going autistic without some common trigger?
Terrible for that family and the two boys.
Autism is an awful thing. Hopefully, we will find out the causes soon as these autism stories are very sad.
Bump! Good find ... ;-)
Bless your heart, you dearly want the swine flu shot but due to some idiot's decision in your area that even being in a high risk group was not able to secure a shot due to their policy of first come, first serve. Now you are hoping with no guarantees still having your high risk group status, to secure a shot in a local clinic this week. Myserio, you must agree how fortunate we are to be able to witness Government Health Care before it even goes into effect. Bless us all.
Myserio, would you think it wise since experiencing yourself the difficult time you are having in securing this vaccine especially with one being in a high risk group, trying to convince (maybe scare) others in wanting the same with the limited resources on hand? Considering all that has happen in the last 10 months, panic is the last thing our government would want......
I’m waiting for the first vaccine riot.
The local media here in Indy keep hyping the scarcity factor 24/7.
Then I saw on tv that the Wall St domos got prioritized over hospital workers in NYC.
If I had a dosage to give to you, I would do so in a heartbeat. I sincerely hope if we converse again, you have gotten your swine flu shot and all is well.
Thanks! Good to talk to you, as well.
No squalene? Interesting since an article I read said the vaccine being produced out of the country by Novaris and Glaxo/Kline-Smith said it was being utilized. I’m not very confident that those vaccines for H1N1 wouldn’t make it into this country now that obamination has been taking flak for not providing enough.(And no, I can’t provide that reference because it was several months ago, I think)
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