Should health care workers be forced to get flu shots?
(PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Get your flu shot or you're fired... that's the ultimatum for health care workers in New York state.
So far, New York is the only state requiring workers to get vaccinated against both the seasonal flu and swine flu. All health care workers in New York, including doctors and nurses, have until November 30 to get their shots - or they risk losing their jobs.
New York Health officials insist that the vaccines will protect the workers... and their patients - from getting the flu.
But some people don't like the idea of forced vaccinations... and they planned a rally in Albany today to protest the measure.
Opponents say it violates their personal freedom... and they also point to the possibility of getting ill from the vaccine, highlighting deaths associated with the government's last swine flu vaccine in 1976.
They also say it's unnecessary - that they won't catch the flu because they wash their hands so often.
The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention says flu activity is increasing in the U.S., with more than half of all states already reporting widespread flu activity.
Both the H1N1 and seasonal flus are expected to cause hospital stays and deaths. The regular flu alone kills about 36,000 people a year in this country; and the number of deaths from swine flu potentially could be much higher.
Here’s my question to you: Should health care workers be forced to get flu shots under threat of losing their jobs?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Cheryl from Bluffton, South Carolina writes:
I know a lot of wise nurses who say the shots made them sick (or didn't keep them from getting sick). They're in the trenches every day; let them make up their own minds on the subject.
Kenneth from Seattle writes:
Health care workers are in a science-based field, and the best science we have says that flu shots are safe and (mostly) prevent people from getting the flu. If these people don't find the science convincing, they should find another line of work rather than infecting their patients and making the flu epidemic even worse.
Ed from Van Buren, Indiana writes:
No one should be required to take a flu shot. There is no epidemic. It's not polio. At this point, H1N1 is just another red herring by a government agency.
Thom from Michigan writes:
If they are in the health field and dealing with the public and are not intelligent enough to get the shots without being told or forced to, please keep them from treating me or mine.
Lucy writes:
Under threat of losing their jobs? That's just too much.
Justin writes:
Of course not! People should not be forced to immunize themselves. Most who work in the health care industry are educated enough to weigh the benefits and risks of getting a flu shot and should be able to make that decision for themselves with no government intervention required.
Doug from Dallas writes:
Does this question fall into the "duh" category? Of course they should. It's going to be hard enough to stay healthy this year without having to worry about getting sick from the people who are treating you.
@jackcafferty on Twitter
No. That is their call. I wouldn’t want to be forced to take any drug. But, they would have to weigh the risks and if they get sick, they should not be allowed to come to work until they recover.
Yes. They come into contact with so many people on a daily basis, they run a high risk of getting the flu and passing it on to someone else. They need to get the shot to protect their patients.
Jack: Yes, health care workers should get flu shots or be suspended from the job without pay until flu season is over. Fired is a little hard, but health care workers need to set a good example an get their flu shots.
No Jack, I don't like flu shots and I rather take the risk of not having one. If I were in the health industry – I would have to tell them good bye because I feel strongly about not taking flu shots.
Well if flu shots were such a good idea you'd think that this would be a non issue for health care workers. I think it says more about flu shots than it does anything else.
Absolutely. Even if the shots are only marginally helpful it will give the "illusion" that they are doing everything to protect the public and themselves.
Note: I had a friend of mine that never had a flu shot in his life and finally got one during the last epedemic and he got sick as hell. Go figure
Does this question fall into the "duh" category? Of course they should. It's going to be hard enough to stay healthy this year without having to worry about getting sick from the people who are treating you.
Yes. H1N1 and the flue in general is a health threat that needs to be taken seriously this season. Are they required to take a drug screen/test before they are hired? To me, getting the flu shot is the same as being required to take a drug screen/test before you get hired.
I work part time at a restuarant & one of my co-workers came to work last week with the flu and now three other co-workers are sick! Hope I don't get it.
Green Bay, WI
Yes or take a furlough until the threat is passed.
My mom's a nurse and her boss is currently out with swine flu. ANYBODY who works with people with weakened immune systems (i.e. SICK PEOPLE), NEED to get the shot, or else they could pass swine flu on to patients before they even know they have it.
Lucy
SF, CA
Under threat of losing their jobs? That's just too much.
Jack,
I don't feel like anyone should be forced to get Flu shots.
Carl in Illinois
I think it be a good idea for everyone to be vaccinated, but no should be forced to have anything forced into their bodies if they choose not to. Seems to me that would be a form of rape...
I know a lot of wise nurses who say the shots made them sick (or didn't keep them from getting sick). They're in the trenches every day – let them make up their own minds on the subject.
Of course not! People should not be forced to immunize themselves. Most who work in the health care industry are educated enough to weigh the benefits and risks of getting a flu shot and should be able to make that decision for themselves with no government intervention required.
Health care workers are in a science-based field, and the best science we have says that flu shots are safe and (mostly) prevent people from getting the flu. If these people don't find the science convincing, they should find another line of work rather than infecting their patients and making the flu epidemic even worse.
I certainly don't want a health care provider carrying the flu virus passing it on to me. Mandatory shots are necessary.
Of course not. Everyone has a choice. I think most health care workers would voluntarily get the vaccine. What about teachers, first responders, anyone attending conferences or working within large corporations? And how about the military? What about the Prez and Congress, all the media. How about Dancing With the Stars and Tom Delay? Or other global reality shows? This can just become incredibly silly. And explain taking your job away if you refuse the vaccine for any reason? Come to think of it that would be a great way to get rid of a lot of Congress people!
Maria
Brunswick,MD
They can be forced to get TB tests, so yes they should. They are licensed professionals. With such a license comes responsibility.
Why should they, Jack? The H1N1 virus is all over the country NOW. The vaccine comes out in October - the 9th, I believe. They've probably already been exposed multiple times, and will either develop the disease or not based on their exposure to date. If you are talking the regular flu shot, again, why should they? Most will probably get the shot whether forced to or not, so why put their jobs at threat? And most health care workers already have significant resistance to most flu viruses from previous seasons.
I've already had the regular flu shot, and I'm getting the H1N1 shot myself, because I have asthma and don't want to take additional risks...but odds are, I've been exposed already. Will a shot prevent me from getting it? Noone, including the CDC knows.
Of course not. Why should they? Ever read the warning labels on the drugs that are being administered?
What happened to the land of the free? If I have the right to clog my arteries with fastfood and medicate myself with twelve different prescription drugs, then it should be my decision on whether I want a flu shot or not.
Jack, I am a little older than you and have never had a flu shot and will never get one. Also, I have never had the flu while co workers and family around me have suffered through both the vaccination and the flu. Why would anyone want to force health care workers to get flu shots. They probably know the odds better than anyone and should be free to make a choice. If they get the flu they are better prepared to recognize it and take the appropriate action.
No one is going to force Me to do anything I don't want to do! I QUIT!
What health care worker wouldn't want to get the flu shot? They are dealing with sick people all day long.
For something as contagious as the flu it's important to minimize the possible spreading of such diseases. Yes, they should be required to have a flu shot.
Considering I know a nurse that told me he wouldnt be able to get/keep a job if he contracted HIV, and considering the likely hood of a healthcare worker infecting a patient with HIV, and considering the likelyhood of transmitting the flu to someone that might be in a population of concern for getting the flu, DUH of course they should. That is unless they know something we don't are people dying from the immunizations and is it being covered up?
I would think at this point the production of the vaccine is down to an exact science. That in tandem with the fact that there are such quick changes in the versions of the viruses that spread, time is of the essence in production.
The flu vaccine still causes too many dangerous side effects in some people, including infection with the virus itself. If workers are required to take it, it should first be perfected. Inoculation should only be mandatory for a virus potent enough to warrant it. Not necessary to be too regulatory in this free country.
Instead of making Health Care workers get the flu shots, they should make members of Congress get them. That way if there is any reaction to the shot it would not be that great of loss.
Should health care workers be forced to get flu shots under threat of losing their jobs?
No I don't think health care workers should be forced to get the flu shot this year. The news is showing a lot of uncertainty with it such as "If you had the flu shot last year,you are twice as likely to get H1N1 this year." and "We're going to give the flu shots to people over 65", and "Children should have both the flu shot and there H1N1 vaccine". None of these statements make sense with one an other. It just does sound sensible or safe.
Jack, we can barely keep the jobs we have let alone lose them to not wanting a flu shot. Oh well, in thinking about it, you might as well get the shot anyway because the way things look, it might be all you have to show for your hard work after your job goes to someone else in another country. Do they have a shot we can get for that?
Dennis / Nashville,TN.
Yes, because if they don't they present a risk of spreading it and causing an epidemic at their workplace.
Jack,
No. But they should be required to wash their hands... And be in the country legally!
Rory Murray
San Bernardino,CA
Absolutely, unless they have a medical problem of their own that could cause them undue harm.
As a former healthcare worker, I'm aware of the importance of getting the flu vaccine. We are exposed to a wide variety of viruses and bacteria on a daily basis and "flu season" is worse than other times of the year. BUT to threaten termination is going too far. Healthcare workers should have the same rights as everyone else, and that includes the choice to not get a flu shot.
I wouldn't get a flu shot if you put a gun to my head and I'd certainly not compel anyone else to do so. Have you considered that maybe the reason some health-care workers are so averse to the idea is that they understand the risks and side effects better than the gullible general public? Health care costs could be cut in half if people would stop mindlessly kowtowing to doctors who prescribe most of the snake oil they sell because they're getting kickbacks from the drug dealers, er-uh...pharmaceutical companies...that peddle them.
Susan
Tuscaloosa, AL
Absolutely. I don't plan on getting flu so I sure don't want to get it from a nurse or a doctor who see sick people all the time!
Yes medical professionals come in contact with the most vulnerble people in our society. If our children have to get their shots before they attend school, then medical folks should be held to the same standard.
No, No and H NO! This is still America not Russia which you can see from your office window.
A definite No! I think this whole H1N1 vaccine was rushed out way too quickly. We don't even know all the dangers of the vaccine yet, but we do know that so far H1N1 has been milder than the regular seasonal flu, both in severity, and in mortality.
I don't think anyone should be forced to have the vaccine, not even health care workers.
Makes sense to me, Jack. No one goes to the doctor to get infected. I think this is what they call a no brainer.
Pablo
Arlington Texas
Should health care workers be forced to get flu shots under threat of losing their jobs?
Yes. It is for their protection as well as the protection of the patient.
School teachers should also be compelled.
Matter of fact, let's make sure that anyone that has contact with the public be vaccinated.. Flight attendents, food workers, etc..
Jenna
Roseville CA
No. First off there is no proof that the Flu shot will prevent anything. Next there is no proof that the Flu shot might not kill you if you have a reaction to it. Getting the Flu is a chance any one takes on a daily basis. Prevention is also only a chance.
Yes because they are on the front line. I don't want to have to go to a closed hospital because all the nurses and doctors are ill with the flu. What is the point if they are all out sick?
While I usually don't like the government mandating anyone, I think that it is in our best interests to require health care workers to get the vaccination. Jack, when you and I were kids, we didn't have to get all the numerous vaccinations that school children are forced to get now. We got polio vaccine and that was it. We just accepted that having the chicken pox, measles, and mumps were just a part of growing up. Now, kids are forced to take vaccinations for all these diseases and you don't hear anyone whining about that.
Brownwood, Texas
no but they should lose their job if they spread the flu to a sick person.
Yes, they should, because failure to do so makes them too stupid to be employed as a health care worker.
Seriously, we do not need babies and old people dying of H1N1 caught from an infected hospital employee.
I'm a nurse in Iowa. My facility has said we all WILL get the H1N1 shot. I don't particularly want to be forced to take a shot, its largely unproven and could cause a lot of problems by itself.
What would be better is to allow people that are feeling sick to stay home, instead of making them feel guilty because they want to stay home, they should encourage them to stay home until they are well. I cannot begin to tell you how many of my coworkers work sick, day after day, because the scheduler doesn't want to call in temporary workers. If you're sick, stay home. Even in health care.
Jack
Health care workers should be intelligent enough to know that they are at high risk to begin with as far as being exposed to all kinds of micro organisms, they shouldnt have to be given ultimatiums or threatened to get what they should already have volunteered for.
You meet the requirements of your employer or you move on. So, yes Jack, they can be required to get the shot as a condition of employment. You give up a lot of personal freedom when you take a job. Job requirements can include a drug test and criminal backround check.
There you go again..."some people , everybody". Some People and everybody are usually trouble makers. I'm getting mine...it might hurt... make me a little sick, but hopefully I won't die or kill "someone" else. We force people to have drivers licence, car insurance, pay taxes etc. why not health care workers forced to receive flu shots.
Oregon
UM,,,, YES?
I am a health-care worker, and I do not think that people should be forced to get flu shots. Personally I think it is stupid not to, however there may be legitimate reasons for some individuals not to get them (such as a history of egg allergy or certain autoimmune disorders). The fraction who don't get voluntarily vaccinated is probably small enough that they won't be a large contributor to flu spread–provided they *stay home* when they are sick.
I would rather see *hospitals* fined if their workers come to work while symptomatic. Currently there is pressure for workers to turn up no matter how sick they are.
In the case of the flu virus, you might still transmit a few cases during the 24 hours before symptoms occur, but for most illnesses, keeping ill workers out of the hospital would greatly reduce 'nuisance' respiratory infections (colds, etc.). But there's no monetary figure on the benefit of this, and no economic incentive for hospital workers to comply with this bit of common sense.
They are in contact with more sick people than anyone and could easily pass on what other patients have. Let me say... YES! To protect everyone, including themselves. If they can't be bothered then they have no business practicing medicine.
The lawyers will like it. I can see the flood of civil right lawsuits coming. Big brother wants to protect you. If they really want to protect us, inoculate us from further taxes.
This sounds like another episode of "Bureaucrats Gone Wild". I'm old enough to remember the '70s Swine flu vaccine that killed more people than the flu. If they are health care professionals, shouldn't THEY know more about the risks from the flu OR the vaccine than the average bureaucrat??? This smacks of PR BS. cy gardner arlington , va
Yes, Jack, they should be required to get vaccinated. By not receiving the vaccination, they could actually transmit the flu viruses to their patients, whether or not they actually get sick. i can understand not wanting to be forced into something, but they are in the business of patient care, and that should come first.
Well absolutely, Jack! That is what government control is ALL about, get used to it. They will very soon be telling everyone what they get and what they don't get, all under the label of "Best practices" made up by the new health commission. Wonder what happens when some health care worker just "says no"? Fire him/her because they don't want a shot of vaccine that they may/may not need. Already killed one teenager giving out this life saving vaccine (HUH?). Welcome to Obamacare.
I would and will NOT allow the government to tell me what I MUST do with regard to my body (same principles of those who demand the rights to abortion). What's fair is fair!!!
Why should they (health workers) be any different than the rest of us?
I would suggest these individuals simply refuse to work or quit! If nobody is in the health care offices, the government will loose the battle! (Gee, just like a union effort that the government seems to consistently applaud as ever so American.)
Yes, or get laid off or fired. How stupid can you be?
If you are willing to give someone else an innoculation, you should be willing to take it yourself.
Ray Kinserlow
Lubbock, Texas
no they should not be forced i think we wtill live in the u.s where you should have the choice but it's getting worse out there taking more of our decisions from the govt is an intrusion on the american people
Why should they, Jack? If you are talking the H1N1 flu, the virus is all over the country NOW. The vaccine comes out in October — the 9th, I believe. They’ve probably already been exposed multiple times, and will either develop the disease or not based on their exposure to date. If you are talking the regular flu shot, again, why should they? Most will probably get the shot whether forced to or not, so why put their jobs at threat? And most health care workers already have significant resistance to most flu viruses from previous seasons.
I’ve already had the regular flu shot, and I’m getting the H1N1 shot myself, because I have asthma and don’t want to take additional risks…but odds are, I’ve been exposed already. Will a shot prevent me from getting it? Noone, including the CDC knows.
And don't call it swine flu - it is H1N1!
Jack, As a former heathcare worker, I know th imporance of getting a flu shot. However, Helathcare workers have to make up theri own
minds.
This is ridiculous. Of course the government can impose vaccination on poeple. They do it all the time. In theory, all lmmigration into this country requires certain vaccines, to nroll in schools, public and private, shot records are required. What't the difference here? It also assumes all illness can be avoided by wasing one's hands, which is bogus because of airborne pathogens in sneezes or coughs. Get the shot you whiners.
I do question how much those health care professionals who REFUSE to get the shot care about their patients. Maybe they should be in a different field anyway.
Lucy
SF, CA
Health care workers should be forced get a shot, it's for their own good as well as the public. They are in a profession where they will be exposed on a daily basis when flu season hits, why wouldn't they want to protect themselves.
Should health care workers be forced to get flu shots under threat of losing their jobs?
No more than they should be forced to have sex to avoid losing their jobs...opponents are correct in any case...the fact that the question is being asked reminds not only the fragility of personal freedom, but who controls and routinely takes away every aspect of personal freedom...
I absolutely agree that healthcare workers should be required to take the flu shot, unless allergy prohibits them. It's also a matter of practice-what-you-preach, Jack. If healthcare workers tell their patients that they should be immunized, then the healthcare workers need to be immunized first. Set the example. I really don't want to take a medical treatment that my provider wouldn't want to take.
Uh oh, I see the word 'forced'. That means it's a bad idea, right? Wrong. That word is a misnomer; no one is being 'forced' to do anything. They're being given a choice: get poked with a needle a few times so that you don't spread highly contagious diseases, or find a new line of work. Some employers require dress codes, some require drug tests, some prohibit piercings...it's nothing new for employers to set limits on what you must or can't do with your body to get or keep your job. If you aren't willing to endure a few moments of pain to help ensure the health of others, then step aside and give your job to someone who's a little more committed.
– Dallas, TX.
I think everyone in the world should be forced to get a swine flu shot...of course the pigs too.
No they should not be forced to get a shot but working with people that may have the flue the chances are greater that they may get it.
Common sense would say that if protection of any source is avaiable you would use it, I think anyone that would not us the opportunity to help prevent getting sick is being careless and so if they get sick no sick benefits should be awarded as it is through their own negligence and carelessness. If they pass the flue to other patients they should be terminated with loss of all benefits and pensions due to their own negligence .
Vaccines should not be mandated, any more than healthcare should be government run – not getting the shot will not necessarily defeat your ability to effectively perform your job. A mandate should not even be necessary though – any healthcare worker, educator, or parent should be interested in these vaccines for themselves and those in their care. That being said, these employers who offer the vaccine should not have to offer things like paid time off for the employees who refuse the vaccine and still get sick.
If you work in health care and don't get a flu shot then you are too stupid to have a job in that field. I would not want to depend on my health care from an individual too ignorant to take such a basic precaution.
I think so, I mean what sense does it make for someone in the MEDICAL field to give you a shot for especially for H1N1 that they wont take? And just because jobs are so hard to get and keep these days if I was told to just get a shot to keep my job it would have been done 5 seconds later...no questions asked. If these people dont want to follow directions theres plenty of people with the experience and no job that wouldnt mind getting that shot...and the job.
I don't know why they wouldn't want to !!!!
No. It sounds to me like another directive from the insurance companies to cover their arses while while limiting the decision-making of their "customers".
No, But they should not be paid if they miss work because of the flu.
The risk of getting the vaccine is much lower than the risk of not getting it–the autism, anti-fluoridation, flat-earth types need to be ignored on this issue. But requiring the vaccination seems unnecessary as public policy and, therefore, unwise. Any health worker who shows flu symptoms should be kept out of work while contagious, just like everyone else.
No! Do we or do we not live in the United States? We are losing too many of our choices too fast! There's a lot more to being healthy than letting our drug companies sell our govt. on yet another chemical to be pumped into our bodies. Haven't we seen this long enough . . . shots or meds that we're promised have no ill effect, then 10 years down the line, they admit that "we didn't know it would do this to you!"
Yes – the health care workers need to be cautious and healthy, but forcing their employees to give up basic life choices isn't the way. It's too sad; witnessing the direction our country is taking.
Flu shots are a great idea, but they shouldn't be mandated and they are no guarantee. After all, hospitals are full of sick people anyways aren't they? And as long as the public has free access to enter hospitals, that limits their effectiveness. Threatening people with job loss is just simply over the top to me, there are so many other basic procedures which are more important.
There is a precedent, in that you can't send your children to school unless they have certain vaccinations. No one can ensure that every health care worker is following correct hand washing procedures every single time. Perhaps the number of people acquiring life-threatening bacterial infections in hospitals shows that they aren't.
Can you imagine that being law? The Phamecuetical companies would eat that right up by charging the American people $1000.00 a shot because of its demand. Just like gasoline, all they have to do is cry shortage. They are nothing but leeches.
No, health care workers should not be forced to take any mandatory vaccinations. Is this America or what? New York is my home state, but it seems that it has become a dictatorship. Truly disappointing.
HE Double Hockey Sticks No, we get a choice and I will not be taking that shot either, there is no way that they know all of the side effect on something that they just put together, do you what to be a guinea pig I do not, plus I already have the antibodies from getting the virus earlier this year! No one should be made to take a shot at all, we are free aren't we?
Sounds like another big government scheme,forcing people to take something they do not want.Make congress take the shot first,before we are forced to take it. No it should be an option,not a requirement.
Isn't there a nursing shortage and healthcare facilities want to chance losing their most important frontline workers, NURSES? Only the most dysfunctional state government would come up with the idea of terminating healthcare workers who refuse to be vaccinated for the flu. If only we would fire our state representatives for not passing property tax relief!
Jack:
There is nothing wrong forcing health care workers to take flu shots. They are out in the field interacting directly with people it make sense to force them.
Manoj Kumar, Atlanta, GA
It's understandable why some health department workers would make a decision to refuse the shot. It's part of what's wrong with the healthcare system. They are the exact people we don't need working in healthcare. It's a stupid decision to run the risk of exposing thousands to possible infection. While there is no oath involved, I would think most healthcare workers would prefer to live by the code of "First, do no harm" Separate the wheat from the chaff.
Is requiring healthcare workers to wear latex gloves and wash their hands a violation of their personal freedom?
How about food service employees who have to wear hair nets?
If one is unwilling to recognize and endorse their own health needs, then how can they assist their patients in doing the same.
If one is unwilling to recognize and endorse their own health needs, then how can they assist their patients in doing the same?
I work in health care Jack, at my job we're not force flu shots but they are offered to us at 75% off. I've gotten a seasonal flu shot but as for H1N1 I'm not sure, I have yet to hear anything anywhere as to the cost.
Probably not but if given the option, most will probably get the shot. This one seems like much adieu of nothing.
why no.they need to be first in line to get them anyway
If this vaccine is proven effective to prevent health risks to others...that's a wise move. If the mandate is to force more people into the pool to reduce costs and maximize profits....shame on these vultures.
I was shocked when I heard this. Of COURSE they shouldn't be forced to do it. What are we, SLAVES? Well, yes, but still, this vaccine hasn't been tested sufficiently, contains thimoderol, and could actually kill some people. I have no faith whatsoever that it's "safe", and to make people submit to involuntary vaccination with penalties affecting their jobs for refusing is not my idea of a free society. Get off our BACKS!!!
Hell no! And if any one did get fired you can be sure the courts will be filled with Lawsuits.
Wendell-Dallas
Tough one, Jack. I should think that most of them would volunteer for this considering where they work.
Yes....they are more exposed to viruses etc than any other part of society. If I get the flu from a healthcare worker that didn't want to be forced to do something to limit the chances of me getting ill, that is mal practice and there should be hell to pay.
Why don't we first force all liberals in Congress to take the public option for life. They should never be able to go back to any other health care.
I bet that'd trasnform the debate, Jack!
No they should not, just like the government should not be able to mandate that everybody has to buy health insurance.
Jack;
The timing of this flu pandemic and world-wide propaganda to line up and take the swine flu shot comes at a beneficial time for the vaccine makers. Lots of money to be made is my first thought.
One third of the health care doctors and nurses in the UK say they will refuse the shot.
Connecting the dots would suggest that there is another agenda at bay. Especially, if people are being forced to be vaccinated. Consider Mass senate Bill 2028.
Jack–
I'm not a healthcare worker, but I guess that I can't understand why they wouldn't want to be vaccinated against H1N1. Their jobs take them in harm's way every day, and if a flu shot could help keep them well that's great. I'm a retired teacher, if I were still in the classroom every day, I would certainly have both flu shots.
Of course not. Consider health care workers that are alergic to eggs. Getting a flu shot would cause them to be very sick. Health care workers understand the importance of getting the shots. Give them the opportunity to be first.
the H1N1 flu is a risk to everyone....not just health care workers. When I go to the grocery store and use a cart, I'm probably risking getting the flu. If I go on an airplane and touch the seat of someone happen to have the flu, I'm at risk. This sounds a little too much. Every job has a risk and it is the employees to take if they want.
There are a lot of local and famous doctors saying that vitamin D3 is far far better than the flu shot. Please talk about it despite the CDC's silence.
The concern: This flu shot has full dose Thimerosal (49% Mercury by weight, or 25 micrograms, which is 50,000 parts per billion, or 250 times more than micrograms of Mercury than the EPA's safety limit) to disinfect the vaccine, aluminum to promote antibody response- and is a toxin known to play a role in Alzheimer's disease, formaldehyde to inactivate the virus – is a known cancer causing agent. Other additives include Triton x-100(a detergent), Ethyl Glycol(antifreeze), and various antibiotics that can cause bad reactions in people. Three known reactions are joint inflammation and arthritis, anaphylactic shock(and other life threatening reactions) and Guillain-Barre syndrome.
Now a Canadian research organization says the seasonal flu shot results in one bein TWICE as likely to get the Swine Flu! Big Pharma can rot in hell.
No, I don't think the flu shots should be forced on an unwilling health care worker. One would think that their knowledge about the situation would lead them to make the decision to get the shot on their own. As for handwashing – infections run rampant in most hospitals and I know that not every health care worker { including the physicians } are not strict about washing their hands. If they do not get paid for time off work due to illness that may be enough incentive to get the health care workers on board – I suppose each person should consider what their collective agreement says.
My self – I think being pro- active with prevention is better than the illness. Ancaster,ON CANADA
OF COURSE! Don't Police get firearem training? Fire/Safety officers get CPR Training? Journalist typing lessons? What has the world come to when the people who are supposed to "help" usare not even prepared to help themselves do an effective job!
i do not think that health care workers should be forced. any health care worker who knows they are in a particularly high risk situation would get the vaccine anyway. if they sign a release of sorts it should not be an issue.
Should health care workers be forced to get flu shots? If you want to call something socialistic, then I call this process is. Why? Because as a health care official, I do not like the term "forced" on any invasive process!!!
I view the H1N1 vaccine as a....... pharmaceutical 'hype'
no no one shouldbe forces to take any drug
perry jones council bluffs ia
Jack, don’t call it swine flu — it is H1N1! Don't you read Dr. Gupta?
Why should they, Jack? If you are talking the H1N1 flu, the virus is all over the country NOW. The vaccine comes out in October — the 9th, I believe. They’ve probably already been exposed multiple times, and will either develop the disease or not based on their exposure to date. If you are talking the regular flu shot, again, why should they? Most will probably get the shot whether forced to or not, so why put their jobs at threat? And most health care workers already have significant resistance to most flu viruses from previous seasons.
I’ve already had the regular flu shot, and I’m getting the H1N1 shot myself, because I have asthma and don’t want to take additional risks…but odds are, I’ve been exposed already. Will a shot prevent me from getting it? Noone, including the CDC knows.
Dear Jack,
I'm conflicted. Do people need flu shots or is there a pharmaceutical company that is well connected? Somebody's making a bunch of money on flu shots as well as other medications that I'm not certain we need.
Linda in Woodbury, NJ
Nope, but they could be held accountable if they get sick. That would be the most acceptable solution. If they get the shot and get sick, OK. But if they don't get the shot and get sick...out the door!
Unless you have a legitimate medical or religious reason for not wanting any vaccination, most vaccines should be required. The overwhelming majority of the opposition to vaccination is based upon false, unscientific beliefes about "risks" of vaccination. While there is always some low chance of complications with any medical procedure, vaccine effectiveness is connected to herd immunity, and people who choose not to get a vaccine risk both their health and that of the community.
NO Way. As a physician's wife I think the health officials are crazy to implement this. First of all, the vaccines are not proven safe. You couldn't pay me enough to be a guinea pig in this experiment. Secondly, what if you've had a reaction to a vaccine in the past? Personally, I had joint swelling in my hands and fingers within a few days of receiving the regular flu vaccine a few years ago. Thirdly, this is a personal decision between doctors and patients, not "health officials" who know nothing except policy decisions. An article earlier today stated 100 million Americans will receive this shot – our local Walgreens is charging 25.00 a person. Hmmmm, sounds like a lot of $ to be made here...
Why not Jack? One sick worker can infect dozens resulting in a loss of productivity and profit– If you get sick, stay at home. If you aren't sick take all the preventative measures you can to make sure you have a safe and healthy flu season for you, your coworkers, and the patients you treat.
No. Unless their is an world wide epidemic that we could stop and then I think we wouldn't have to ask.
Thats good ill just wait until Nov. 30 to get my shot that way if theres any one left standing to give it ill know its safe.
Yes, if that what it takes to save a life. Is it just hands or is it airborne? Whatever. From what I hear on CNN it is nothing to take lightly. Repeat Dr. Sanjay's experience, it is no fun.
Simply stated – Yes
Jack,
Nobody should be forced to take a flu shot. If a health worker gets sick with the flu or anything else, they must stay home until they've recovered.
Jim
Reno, Nevada
i would like to think that it is mandatory for health care professionals to get a flu shot.. they are right in your face literally when giving us a flu shot . what is that. tantamount to getting an examination by any health care person without washing their hands first. i am sure most of them use a surgical glove .. if you want to get sick , visit any hospital ,,push elevator buttons ,open doors etc .. almost a guarantee to pick up germs.. AMERICA, USE ANTIBACTERICAL HAND SOLUTION BEFORE GOING IN THERE ...
Absolutley Not! Just wait untill they tell us to get an implant or we will not be able to buy or sell or even have a job!? Get ready everybody!
Why dont the family and relatives of all the Vaccines Producing Laboratories are forced to get the vaccines they are producing?, that could speak volumes of their commitment and asurance of the safety and effectivness of the vaccines!!. After a few months we'll find out if they worked or if corporate vaccine makers still trying to force vaccines on us.
no! Not at this time. Sure, it( manditory vaccination) would be considered preemptive medicine, but at this time I think the crisis has not materialized to the point of such drastic measures.
If cases arise that demonstrate the need for forced innoculation, then allow only those who consent to be working near patients and other personnel.
There is plenty of work for those who refuse innoculation where they are isolated from contracting or spreading the flu. Those who refuse should have their pay adjusted for their contributions made under less dangerous working environments.
Vaccinate all family and relatives of high paid corporate vaccine makers by law and after a few minutes of the law passing they will desist of it. Could be helpfull to find out how many of them are taking the vaccine, shot or misted, and if any presented reaccions or sickening afterwards. Could you find our about this Mr. Cafferty?
If they are in the health field and dealing with the public and are not intelligent enough to get the shot(s) without being told or forced to, please keep them from treating me or mine.
Thom Richer
Negaunee, MI
Re: health care workers and the vaccine issue.
What do these people know about this vaccine that we do not know as regular citizens? Why do they not wish to have the vaccine?
Makes no sense to me, unless they know something we should all be told before we roll up our sleeves for the shot!
Cindy P.
Bowling Green, VA
Jack,no I do not think they should have to,their heath is up to them.
That sort of thing just makes it look,a little too bossy for the people in charge.
Yes. The Flu is given through human contact. like in schools, doctor's offices, and hospital settings, so health care providers should be required by law to get their flu shots each year or find another job.
Flu shot for health care workers? Come on Jack this is America, where everybody has the right to infect everybody due to some disproved fear of mercury or other evil ingredients in vaccines.
The government has no right to tell you what to do or not to do! Except in your bedroom of course.
No one should be required to take a flu shot. There is no epidemic. It's not polio. At this point, H1N1 is just another red herring by a government agency.
These opponents need to seriously get over themselves. I hope these protesters have a better reason for refusing the vaccine than the ones I heard in the newscast. Because those crazies sound a lot like the crazies from the tea party rallies with all their their "the government just wants to control us..." rants. Are they kidding?? Did they miss all of the sufferers and casualties from swine flu over the last year? These are healthcare professionals- it seems irresponsible for them to leave themselves vulnerable in the midst of a pandemic, especially since they'll most certainly be coming into contact with swine flu sufferers. If these so-called professionals really can't grasp the concept of pandemics, vaccines and exposure, then they need to find new jobs (and good luck with that!)
Yes, I agree that all health care personnel should have the shots. This is really a protection for them.
No, and it should always be an option. I haven't received a flu shot in years, and I only had the flu one time last year, and have not caught the flu this year. It's a waste of money if they don't want to get it. Why must we force things on people?
How would you feel if a nurse giving you a shot, told you she believed that this and other shots were poisonous to your body, or didnt work, or would make you sick, or hurt you, or even kill you?
All while your entire healthcare system, government, and doctor tell you that you should get it, both because it will help prevent it from spreading in epidemic levels and because you work in a critical role.
How would that turn out?
Its Health. Its not the same thing as your broker suddenly telling you investing in anything is a bad idea and will lead to your financial downfall, and to keep your money under your mattress.
If officials believe that health care workers are "like the pilots and flight crew of an airplane" who are to set the example and start with taking the H1N1 vaccine then what about the legislators who make the laws? I think we should start requiring that any time we want to mandate that the "public" begin taking something without a choice, that the lawmakers go first! Let them all get vaccinated and set the examples and then others may want to follow rather than simply setting policies and procedures which everyone except they have to follow.
Ludmilla
Upper Marlboro, MD
If their jobs are on the line for not taking the shots, I would like to see their job descriptions and what they say in regards to possible shots. If the shots are not covered in their employment agreements then they do not have to take them. If fired, they can sue for wrongful termination.
On the other hand, any one with a sense of responsibility would agree to the shots.
Jack, asking a healthcare worker to get a swine flu vaccine is like asking a firefighter to wear fire-retardant clothing. It just makes sense.
Of course. 5-year-olds have to get them in order to go to school, why shouldn't health care workers? Stop whining and do something for the common good, would you please!
Nobody should be forced to get a vaccination. However, on the flip side, I'm not against requiring vaccination as a condition of employment. I don't know about New York, but in most states, employment is usually at-will, so if the employees don't want the shot, they can find other employment. It's not entirely about keeping them from getting the flu, but also keeping them healthy enough from becoming carriers and passing it on to others. If I were a patient in somewhere, it would make me feel a lot better to know that the people caring for me were taking as many precautions as possible to keep me from becoming infected with a potentially fatal illness like seasonal or H1N1flu.
I don't think washing your hands will help you if someone sneezes in your face. Mandatory shots-no, but you're taking a big chance if you don't.
I don't think health care workers jobs should be on the line, but they should take it unless they have some really valid reason why not. They come in contact with people who have the flu, then if they get it, they come in contact with people who have health problems that they could pass it on to. During the flu season is a dangerous time to visit the doc's office. If you aren't sick when you go, you probably will be in a few days. It happened to my husband when he fell and hurt his arm. Two days after visiting the doctor, he had the stomach flu and 2 days later I had it. No one else we had come in contact with had the flu. We were 99.9% sure it came from the doctor's office.
Jack,
What happened to our rights to choose? Aren't we pushing freedom to the rest of the World.
Jack, this is so simple, if people who are called health workers think it's wrong for them to be forced to take a vaccine that was advocated by health guys to solve the prevailment swine-ful problem, then, there're lots of questions to be asked, since "he who comes to equity must come with a clean hand".
YES! Jack,
the Health care workers should get The Flu Shots. Since they are at the fore front of also spreading it by the nature of the Job they do!
Absolutely not. Why take choice away from health care professionals or anyone for that matter? Just another government muscle flex. We are a free people. This isn't a dictatorship.
Yes! I don't want to be at risk for swine flu because my doctors, nurses, etc. refused to get vaccinated! These are the people we trust to heal us and they are the first step in preventing an outbreak. Vaccines are more and more safe – they need to be vaccinated. Otherwise, what's the point in vaccinating anybody else?
I think that sould be mandatory, the same requirement for students, and else where
That is the craziest thing I've ever heard. Why should I lose my job b/c I choose to use free will. Land of the free? Sure.
As a retired paramedic, I believe that the vaccines should be mandatory for healthcare workers, teachers and school children, as research has shown that those are the groups with the most exposure. By vaccinating those individuals we can greatly reduce the effects of this pandemic.
Why should there be a legal issue considering that school children are already required to receive other vaccinations?
Larry E. Burnette
Tuscaloosa Fire Department (retired)
Of course it is a good idea Jack, my mother works for the Department of Health in New York and she is just happy to know she will be one of the first to get the vaccine. My sister has already had it and I would not want to see hospital workers walking around spreading it.
I think as a social experiment you should come in to work wearing a surgical mask for the next week and see the reaction of management.
This is an issue that I think has already been resolved. Children are already required to have many immunizations before they can be enrolled in public school. In addition, employers can require that you do lots and lots of things that you would rather not do as a condition of keeping your job. How are their rights any different from kids?
Sharon
(a cranky old elementary school teacher)
YES! Jack,
the Health care workers should get The Flu Shots. Since they are at the fore front of also spreading it by the nature of the Job they do!
Sounds like a bunch of self centered folks who would put others health in jeopardy over a simple flu shot.
I personally would not want to be treated by any of them.
Let them go home without pay until this flu crisis our country is facing is over.
Richard Hesting
Owasso, OK
No, these folks (no one) should not be fired for deciding on something that directly, physically, biologically may affect them adversely. This is looking a lot like Nazi Germany lately. If this kind of stuff continues, the government is going to have another war on their hands and it'll be on their front door step.
Absolutely not! There are already major red flags about H1N1. Under laboratory observation it was found to be made in a lab and not naturally occuring. It's also stated that the company providing the vaccine has acquired immunity from being sued from any harm or deaths resulting from its use. What kind of confidence booster is that??
Absolutely not! If they do require it, they should be held responsible for any side effects. This includes any sickness, and/or death, with an enormous life insurance policy. If they refuse to agree to this, then you should be able to opt out. We have enough Gov't intrusion into our lives as it is. It seems there is not stopping it!
Randy Dowdy, Providence NC 27315
This mandatory vaccine for H1N1 is one of the creepiest things I have seen. Nobody should be put in the position of losing their job because they don't want to receive a new, virtually untested vaccine–and for a non lethal illness, at that. I can't believe the state of New York would consider doing this to their health care workers.
No they should not. I am without health insurance and who is going to pay for it? Ive seen people get the flu from the regular shots, so if you get sick from the H1N1 shot are they going to give you sick pay for missing work? and not take away from your days off? This is an attack against human rights anyway you look at it.
Get the shot. Once you get the flu you can pass it along to others, even after you get better. If you're in a professional where you see a lot of sick people, especially those who already have respiratory problems, and you have not had the shot you put other people at a life threatening risk. They should be glad they are at the top of a long list of people to get the shot. I'll be glad to wait for hours in long lines to get it.
As a nurse for over 30 years, I have never been required to get any immuization! So I am guessing that THIS IS SERIOUS!
So I plan on getting the shot, But will be at end of line.
We’re wandering into sadly familiar territory when we start forcing people into a do as I say or else scenario. Health care workers have the ability (and right) to weigh the risks for themselves.
I don't feel it should be the H1N1 vaccine should be mandatory, when a patient is admitted with this condition they are usually placed on airborne and droplet precautions. If the health workers are following their institution's infection control policies then they should be safe with or without the vaccine. What about people who are allergic to the additives in the vaccines?
I am a nurse in South Dakota and feel it is our choice wether we get the flu shot or not, personally I don't want to catch it and be sick with it, exposing my children and out of work for a week, so I will be getting it. In my recent travels to New York City, I do see with the huge population and how crowded it is & the potential of a pandemic is huge and there would need to be a mandate to get the shot, how would you otherwise be able to manage the possible influx of the sick without fully staffed hospitals?
Jack,
My hospital in texas is requiring us to get flu shot unless we want to wear a mask for full duration of our shift. My worry is what is guarantee that this vaccine doesnt include something that will have long term affects on our health and life. What is the probability that we dont get
exposed to another new type of flu other than H1V1 virus and we will need another 1 year come up with vaccine that has not been tested well enough.
Healthcare workers are exposed to so many sick patients and therefore can contract the flu easier. It's only right to have everyone vaccinated.
Yes! I don't want to catch the flu from a healthcare worker just because I went for a routine checkup. Washing hands is not the only thing that will keep you from getting the flu.
Having worked as a manger for many years I learned work is about doing what you're told, not what you feel like doing. If these workers do not want to obey the edicts of their superiors they know where the door is and they are more than welcome to use it.
Health care workers should not be required to get the H1N1 flu shot. I am a healthcare worker in Austin, TX and hour health care system only requires that we wear an approved mask if you choose to not receive the H1N1. The speed with which this vaccine reached the market is fair enough reason for any American to be able to choose if they want the shot and the potential side effects (no matter how minor they may be).
The regular flu kills more people than this new strain does . For most people, it's a relatively mild flu, or so we're told. So why REQUIRE the vaccination when the regular flu vaccine is optional? Next they'll be requiring that teachers, bus drivers, day care workers, retail workers, restaurant workers, etc. get then shot as well. I just don't think it's realistic.
Of course health care workers should get the flu shot. I'm a retired ER person and I saw for many years what the flu does to the public. However, I do not agree that the state should mandate it.
Perhaps the state bureaucrats may want to think twice before going to a ER. They may be "overlooked".
I am a healthcare worker and I will get the vaccine when it is available. However, I do think it should be your own personal choice. Unless the industry is prepared to pay for reactions and/or complications from the vaccine, they need to allow heathcare workers the freedom to make their own decision.
Absolutely not. How can anyone feel that government officials know better about health matters than doctors and nurses? If they do not wish to get the shot, they have their reasons.
For my part, if someone told me I had to get the shot or else lose my job, I would say goodbye to my job.
Rapid City, SD
First, do no harm. That is the credo of all doctors and should be for all health care workers. Refusing to take the flu shot potentially exposes all their patients to spreading swine flu. If they object, fine. That's their right, but they cannot expect to continue treating patients and potentially exposing them to a deadly virus. Get another job.
Why not? Their rights are not violated... But the patients rights are when they go to a hospital to get help and instead leave feeling worst than before... They think they can't get it because they wash their hands!? I guess I didn't wash my hands well enough.
I'm an EMT. I don't get the flu shot because the three times I have it has made me sick. Very sick. One time I didn't mind because my wife was going through chemotherapy and had a compromised immune system. My illness was nothing compared to hers. If my employer forces me to get a flu shot, that's OK, I can use the sick pay.
Tubriculoues I could understand, but there is no reason someone should be forced to get a flu vacine.
That is ridiculous. If someone is so worried about swine flu, and has faith in and wants to put that vaccine in their body, them let them do that, and leave everyone else alone.
(On the forced flu shot) Jack, when did this country become Nazi Germany? If any medical professional is fired for refusing a flu shot, the entire state's medical personnel should go on strike until they're rehired. Let's see how well the health care system works then.
No, they shouldn't be required to get vaccines, that should be their personal decision. If they get sick, then they should just stay home and not infect anyone else, that should be their sole obligation. What if a person is allergic to an ingredient in the vaccine and can't afford to risk their lives by taking it? Should they have to choose between their lives and their jobs? Does that make any sense?
I think we as a country have lost any motivation for doing things for their intrinsic value. Why must we have an argument for everything from this to global warming, when just doing the right thing will prevent disease in this case, or pollute the planet less in the global warming issue?
Jack,
Here's the solution. Let them keep working but with the proviso that if they get sick, they immediately quit their job and cannot collect unemplyment insurance. Also, if anyone is against the public option health insurance, have them sign a paper stating that they will never draw a dime from Medicare in their old age. And forget about government-run retirement. If someone really wants their freedom so much, let them prove it with action.
Actually, no. They should not lose their jobs. Do idiots in our government?
However, they should not be allowed to work with patients with special risks if they choose not to be vaccinated. The "Darwin Award" should be allowed to exert it's influence.
yes, there are people who contract other infections from being in the hospital, so it is logical to assume that swine flu will be yet one more sickness that will be spead that way also
I think we as a country have lost any motivation for doing things for their intrinsic value. Why must we have an argument for everything from this to global warming, when just doing the right thing will prevent disease in this case, or pollute the planet less in the global warming issue?
Just do the right thing! Quit whining about being told to do the right thing!
They are forced to abide by dress codes under threat of losing their job. They are forced to conform to some code of cleanliness and good grooming under threat of losing their jobs. Sorry, but this is just another requirement for employment. On this one, the patients rights come first.
When I was inducted into the Army, they didn't ask me if I wanted any inoculations, but it was a job requirement. It's the same thing here.
Jeff – Puerto Vallarta,Mexico
Instead of firing people who won't get vaccinated, how about firing them if they get the flu? The gamble is then theirs.
What they don't tell you about the swine flu shots is that many of them will contain the mercury preservative thimerosal. Yes, that's the same thimerosal that many still believe has caused autism in infants and children. No wonder those NY health care workers resist the shots.
No, they should NOT have to accept the shot. Gov't has no authority to do such a thing. And to threaten their jobs over it! Gov't should be checked right now!
I would like to see then fire all the health professional, then who will care for the patients?
As a health care worker I plan to get the H1N1 vaccine as soon as possible. However, if the government or my employer tell me I have to get vaccinated in order to keep my job they can take their job and shove it. Oh, and then who will be there to take care of all the people who get sick?
Health care workers have a unique situation in that they work with patients that are already sick and may have immune systems that may be weak. If this is very contagious it could run through a hospital like wild fire.
YES!
I heard a worker say, on your clip, it was a violation of her
rights to have to get this shot. Now didn't she have to get
mandory shots to be employed where she is?
I say what about the rights of the person that is sick
has to have you taking care of them, and possibly transferring
H1N1 to them, before you realize you have it.
Absolutely not, no one, I repeat, no one should be forced to be given any immunization they do not want. No one should have their job put on the line for refusing this program. I choose what and when anything is done to or what goes into my body and I intend to keep it that way as should every American.
Will the state pay for health care workers adverse reactions?– allergic reactions or Guillain-Barre?
A while back there was a proposal to vaccinate health care workers against smallpox in case of a bioterrorism attack. The liability issues sidelined the whole idea.
Jack,
No they should not. Mayor Bloomberg like many other leaders in our government is testing the waters to see how much abuse the people will take.
If people took the time to look at the ingredients that make up these vaccinations they wouldn't take them.
Matt Ford, M.P.A.
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
So it's not the insurance company coming between the doctor and the patient. Instead it is the State of New York coming between the doctors and the nurses. It never made it to the patients.
Absolutely NOT. I work in a hospital lab and I am 55yrs old and have had the flu 2 times in my life. If your healthy and you have a good immune system you will be fine. Many people have reasons not to get the shot religion being one of them and mine being.... I lean towards natural health care , less toxic medicine. This is still the land of the FREE?
Jack,
If a healthcare worker does not want to take the mandatory preventative injections, then they should be required to tell their patients about their refusal. Then, the patient should have the option to ask for a healthcare worker who is concerned about the safety and welfare of their clients.
Allan
Fairport, NY
Should health care workers be forced to get flu shots?
Not! Once that happens what next? Computer chip under the skin, To what end do we sacrefice rights.
Like Jack are you willing to take injections in order to keep you job?
Example there was a girl just died on Monday in England due to injections to stop this or that.Yes I know that is not many dead but if it was one you care for well minds than change.
Dennis.S.
Toronto.Canada.
2009-09-29-Tuesday@ 6:16 p.m.
I believe it should be mandatory for healthcare workers to get the vaccination. Just as there are extra precautions for food handlers so it should be for heathcare workers. The CDC should be trusted.
I am a health care worker and have been for 39 years I refuse to be held hostage by having my employer dictate how I manage my personal health. I feel this is a personal informed decision that I have a right to make with out fear of losing my job. There is already a shortage in many areas of healthcare and when they need workers they will just lose them with this mandate. My hospital is requiring those of us that do not get the vaccine to wear a mask the entire time we are on duty. I know if I am sick or not and believe me if I am sick I will not to go work. Give the heatrhcare providers some credit we are not stupid.
You don't have to be a doctor to know how dangerous it is for health care professionals to not be vaccinated. Anyone who thinks that it is more dangerous to get a flu shot because of a relatively small number deaths from a vaccine made 30 years ago needs to seriously review the statistics. As far as 'personal freedom' is concerned, these opponents to required vaccines should exercise their 'freedom' to quit their jobs and leave the health care jobs for people who actually believe in the medicines that they administer to patients. I'm sure these days there are plenty of qualified and out of work people who would happily take their place.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
This swine flu vaccine being distributed has by no way been proven safe and, in fact, all indications are that it is NOT safe, and a 6-week trial of newly created viruses to implant in people is not exactly reassuring.
This H1N1 flu virus is manmade which contains "a combination of Asian bird, Mexican pig, and human corpse virus from the 1918 Spanish flu that vaccine-makers dug up despite protests by scientists worldwide."
Nobody should be "forced" to take this vaccine, and it's a given that I shall in no way be receiving one! In my opinion, and many experts' views, this vaccine is not safe!
Jack, people in the hospital are very sick to begin with, though most not initially from influenza. They are vulnerable. So what happens if someone who comes in to a hospital for a condition other than the flu, becomes ill with the flu while in the hospital? Where did they contract it? Some workers feel a vaccine will put them at risk or feel it is unnecessary because of their apparently superhuman hygiene practices. Will hospital workers who refuse to be vaccinated for influenza be willing to be held liable for those folks(adults and children) who get the flu in the hospital and suffer serious consequences or die? Do these workers understand that it is not just in the hospital that they may catch the flu but at home from their small sticky children? At the store exchanging money with a cashier? From a doorknob, a public bathroom? A person coughing on the bus or subway? The rates of health care workers who chose not to be vaccinated is already a national embarrassment and a crime. Lives are lost due to this arrogance. If they do not wish to be vaccinated that is fine. But they should find another career. First, do no harm.
Not only are vaccinations mandatory, if we don't get them and we get sick, we cannot use our earned sick time until we get better. We also can be fired. The hospital gave out the mandate this week. We will be fired because we can expose the patients to swine flu. Even though the public can expose us at the mall, the post office, or Wal Mart. And the Republicans are afraid of Obama. How can my employer mandate what I must do with my body? How is that legal? Where are my rights?
No. No person should be forced to get any vaccine...but especially not this vaccine that has been hurriedly put together and contains some very questionable substances. I can't believe the health profession has been so conned into this vaccine movement. I am definitely NOT going to get this vaccine. Fortunately I have a choice unlike these poor health care workers in New York.
I am a Registered Nurse in NY. I have received my seasonal flu vaccine and will get the H1N1 vaccine when it is available. Those health care professionals who say the state cannot mandate immunization are forgetting that the state already insists on proof of immunization against measles, mumps and rubella. As health care professionals we should be providing accurate health information to our patients and be advocates for patient care.
Absolutely not!!! I do not work in the health care industry, but I work where I radomly get tested for drugs in my system, I do not want. Now, think how I would feel, if I were force to get a vacine, I do not want to keep my job. Big brother is watching
I feel that it is my right to make that decision, not the governments! Why not due a flu/H1N1 titer and see if I am fully immuned. Why do some vaccines last a life time and not the flu vaccine?Sounds like a scam to me. If you have had the flu in the past wouldn't mean that you do not require a vaccine. When you get the chicken pox (varicella) afterward your bloodwork would show that you had the disease and do not require the vaccine because you now have immunity. i bet if you checked people's flu titers you would find that people already have immunity and would not need the vaccine. Besides which who would want to vaccinate themselves w/harmful chemicals like formaldehyde, squalene,mercury,anti freeze,streptomycin as well as the flu strains involved. People are educating themselves about the harmful chemicals used in these vaccines and we are not going to take it anymore.
Even if the vaccine was properly tested which it isn't, there should always be a choice for anybody to accept it and this also includes health care workers. I guess the next step is making it mandatory for children?
This is a great example how companies that make huge profit on this are able to use government machine to override citizens freedoms.
I am a health care worker also and they are not injecting me or my children- we are not the sheep- yet.
Pawel Kostulak,
Corpus Christi, TX
Yes. vaccines should be mandatory for health care workers. As a physician in a rural area we are already shortstaffed and short on hospital beds. We are in contact with a lot of flu virus daily, and the last thing we need to do is to put infants and high risk patients at risk of contracting a preventable illness. This of course should be used in conjunction with handwashing and patient education.
Jack,
I watch CNN every day and this is the first story I have commented on because I feel this issue is so important. Forcing health care workers to be vaccinated is just the first sign that forced vaccinations are coming and people are not going to like it. This whole swine flu thing is starting to smell kinda fishy to me... I think that all the vaccines that are produced should be screened for live viruses before the vaccines are administered by an organization other than the people who are producing this vaccine and other than the people who are demanding vaccinations. This could be a plot by those in control to thin out the population, which is a big topic on talk radio.
John Mercier
Keep in mind that the government has given immunity from prosecution to the drug companies that make the vaccines. That means that if you get sick or even die from the vaccine as some did back in the 70's, you have no recourse to sue for long term care or wrongful death for your family. Therefore, whoever tries to force you into a situation to posssibly cause you harm or even death, should have to sign an indemnity agreement for at least a million dollars stating that they will be responsible for any and all damages to you and your family, should you have a bad reeaction causing physical harm or death from the vaccine. If they believe that strongly that the vaccine is that safe, they should have no problem signing this agreement. I'd be willing to bet that none of them would sign this. Let them put their money where their mouth is. I am an LPN and my Husband is a Physician Assistant and we will not be getting this vaccine.
Yes, they should be required, and grateful. Of all people, those in the healthcare feild would know the most about just how dangerous it is not not get vaccinated. If their children were required to get it to go to school, would they argue with that too, or protect their family? They sound like 7 year-olds justifying why they don't REALLY need a bath, they washed their hands a lot so they'll never get sick because that really is just as good! Granted, they know more about signs and symptoms, but all the more reason to be safer. If they were privy to knowing how many people will die in other countries this winter where vaccines aren't as readily avaible as they are here, I'd only hope that they'd think twice.
No one, absolutely no one, should be forced to take into his or her body any substance under threat or duress–especially hastily prepared vaccines. Each year Big Pharma puts out flu vaccines that somehow don't protect us from the flu. I've had only two bad cases of flu–each time after being vaccinated. It' a sin that we dump multiple shots into babies and young kids–without their permission. Now we can lose jobs if we don't take them? Time to look more closely at the policies surrounding vaccination.
The workers have a choice, get the shot to protect themselves and other people, or apply for a job flipping burgers at Mickey d's...
You don’t have to be a doctor to know how dangerous it is for health care professionals to not be vaccinated. Anyone who thinks that it is more dangerous to get a flu shot because of a relatively small number deaths from a vaccine made 30 years ago needs to seriously review the statistics. As far as ‘personal freedom’ is concerned, these opponents to required vaccines should exercise their ‘freedom’ to quit their jobs and leave the health care jobs for people who actually believe in the medicines that they administer to patients. I’m sure these days there are plenty of qualified and out of work people who would happily take their place.
yes if we lived in the fascist state
otherwise of course not
Absolutely NOT Jack! This is America the last time I checked we have the freedom to chose what we put into our bodies or not!!! Who know's what kind of side affects the vaccine has. If it was me I would not want to risk losing my job but I do not want to risk my life either...It's the only one I got.
Jack, New York's announcement to health care workers to get a flue shot or be fired really ought to start with the salutation ACHTUNG, as in Nazi Germany of the 1930s since that was a dictatorship.
Last time I looked, America was still a democracy - or am I looking thru the wrong end of the telescope?
Gary Boyd in Scottsdale, Arizona
Absolutely yes. At the point we quarantine people who have the flu, why let the people treating walk the virus somewhere else in the hospital where someone else s immune is system is weak from some unrelated illness, whom the last thing in the world they need (from the hospital) is THE FLU.
Children can't go to school without taking certain shots prohibiting contagious viruses, health care workers should be even more diligent because they work with patients who are even more at risk
Yes, they should be required to get it in order to not infect patients.
I've been watching CNN here in Brazil – I'm Brazilan – and I came here to give my opinion about this issue.
Here we haven't had this kind of measure yet, but considering all the problems which are "flying" free worlwide, every single step we may take to avoid the spread of this virus should be taken. As we say here down at our land: "we've got to cut the evil on its root" which stands for stopping the problem before it really starts. On the other hand the measures already taken here are doing great, the numbers of infected people dropped considerly, it all only by taking simple cares. The first step of vanishing this virus out of the Earth is to be aware and follow the steps given in order to stop the H1N1, then if even so it doesn't work out there'll be time to istrict measures.
What a great country this use to be... Of course NO
As a healthcare worker we chose this profession to care for the people in our community. This means we took the responsability to do right by our patients. I protect my patients every day by doing the right thing. Taking the H1N1 is doing the right thing! I would not want to be in a hospital that had professionals that did not care about the patient enough to protect them.
Scott
Chattanooga
Jack,
Big Brother requires public employees to do many things to maintain employment. However these workers are not employed by Big Brother. Have the health care officials even considered what would happen if a large number of health care workers refuse? Who will take care of the public after these health care workers are fired? Good intentions by the health officials in NY may cause a major health emergency, itself. A well thought out decision. NOT!!
I am almost 50 and I have never had a flu shot. And, as far as I know, have never had a serious flu. This said, a few years ago 2 co-workers (one in their mid 30's, the other over 50), that received flu shots had severe, adverse reactions to a flu shot. I travel extensively & am constantly exposed to people. My personal philosophy is that because I am exposed to so many people in such varied environments, my body's immune system is stronger than the average person. And I believe the same to be true of those that work in the medical field. So no, I do not believe that anyone has the right to force a person to put a foreign chemical into their body.
Let's see: Job with no protection for possible flu for me from high chance from the checker at the grocery store the guy standing next to me on the elevator any day? Versus Job and protection from a worldwide pandemic that is now forecast to take a high death toll.Hmmm. If that's a tough joice for you, maybe you shouldn't have a job anyway.
Mary
LaGrange Park
Not every bullet fired at a human being, kills them. What if we mandated that every cop now be shot at least once, with a small caliber bullet, just to prove to "the people", that not every bullet will kill you when we take a shot at ya"! How many cops do you think would refuse this "test"? There's proof that this is a man made disease, is it not? Why isn't that being discussed?
Funny how they don't tell us that there's "squaline" in the H1N1 vaccine, an ingredient that acts as a booster, but is the SAME component that harmed individuals in the last round of "swine flu" some years ago. This component is really nasty stuff and causes harm to the body. What else are they putting into this untested vaccine that they're trying to get us all to take for a flu that won't even be more harmful than the usual yearly strain unless it mutates, which is highly unlikely.
Since when people have a voice in the current system? That's what I would like to know.
If people had a say, would the trend being going this way:
"Work longer hours for less pay, forget your pension plan and your benefits."
"Do as the big man tells you or you will lose your job."
"Pay 30% interests on your loan so you will be force to stay on the "treadmill" for the rest of your life without really ever own anything."
"Retirement? what is that? That's sooo yesterday."
"Here drink more coffee and energy drinks so that you can be a more productive obedient worker."
does this sounds familiar?
So add the flu shot requirement to the pile of things we are being forced fed.
No, of course health care workers shouldn't be forced to take the flu shot. The governement needs to slow its roll.
No, No,No. Health care workers are not slaves. The public if too lazy to wash their hands, are not entitled to some underpaid nurse forced to put her health on the line so she can take care of them when they do get sick.. Why aren't bank employees or food workers obliged to take the vaccine, they can spread it. When the inmates run the asylum things are always backwards.
Jack… we trust our healthcare workers to put the safety of their patients before personal preferences. They work on the first lines of this pandemic and if they do not trust the vaccine that they give to people; then maybe they should give something else a shot…. finding a new job.
I am an RN. I have an autoimmune disease that has been in remission. By getting the vaccine I risk that my disease will become active. I eat a healthy well balanced meal. I exercise regularly. I have the right to not vaccinate. The CDC has an adverse reports mechanism in place for the swine flu like no other adverse reporting system ever to date. This is because such a large number of people, they expect, will be vaccinated in such a short time, they will be able to pick up adverse events quicker. There will be adverse advents. I want the choice to vaccinate or not. For all the people who say health care workers should have to or face losing their job, what about our freedom of choice in this country? What if you were faced with the same demand. What, you would do it? Well I don't want to. That's my choice !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
These vaccinated health care workers will provide the initial information re: possible adverse events from the vaccination prior to nationwide dispersal. Neurologists have been notified to monitor for complications such as Guillain-Barre syndrome, a known adverse event from the last swine flu vaccination. I share the protestors concerns re: the state's mandatory vaccination program.
T.H. New York
Government has become bigger and bigger, Government has control of the auto industry, television and entertainment industry, and now the medical industry. When will it stop, or will it ever stop?
Hi Jack!
The vaccination and the H1N1 virus as it turned out to be is a ploy by the Global elite to get all American citizens and citizens around the world for that matter to prepare them for the microchip (the mark of the beast, 666) that will be imposed on the planet as we get closer to 2012.
The H1N1 virus was created by the elite through the channels of the CIA, and so the solution that's thrown out to us is to have everybody vaccinated against a problem that was engineered by the elite and that was blown out of proportion by the controlled media.
This is just the preliminary stage before the introduction of the microchip into the public. If you don't want to receive the microchip – aka the mark of the beast, don't get vaccinated!! It's simple as that! Follow David Icke if want to be knowledgeable on the subject. Shoot me an email if you want more details.
Regards,
Maurice
As a physician in NY State, I'm embarrassed that healthcare workers are so poorly educated not to understand the significance of vaccination. We all regularly sacrifice our personal freedom for the sake of our patients giving away time, emotional involvement and physical risk. We need to make our healthcare environment as safe as possible for our patients and vaccination is part of our responsibility. Vaccination is the single most important advance in the history of preventative medicine aside from public health measures such as sanitation, hand washing etc. If you are a healthcare worker and personally object to vaccination in today's scientific environment, you should consider another career. Being the source of infection of a compromised patient is inexcusable. The patients have no choice of where to go.
How dare any hospital in the United States demand that a health care worker take the flu vaccine or be fired.
I have worked in health care, specifically, respiratory therapy for over 20 years and have NEVER taken the flu vaccine and have NEVER come down with the flu. Could it be that some of us have been exposed to more LIVE viruses in our current daily risk-filled work environment and have maintained our health on our own? Not all of us are irresponsible with our health, some of us take great strides to live healthy and do so without the help of a government who probably will not stand behind a vaccine that may cause some of us harm.
Why should we, if we see fit, to not expose ourselves to some man-made, possibly harmful vaccine? This is a personal choice, as with any Vaccine.... what is going on in this country? Have we lost our minds?
As one of those workers, I feel our rights are being violated. They want total control of our minds and bodies. What happens if it doesn't agree with us, what do they tell our families or children? What about our right to choice?
Jack,
New York doesn't need health care workers! The health care officials are blowing so much hot air that there is no chance the health care workers could ever contract H1N1. Fire a large number of health care workers? Yea, right.
Hey Jack, in the 80"s legislators in Ohio wanted all healthcare workers in operating rooms tested for HIV. We actually brought them into the OR to prove that the patients bleed on us, not the other way around. The testing was not made mandatory. The issue is the flu, not the plague. What if the vaccine makes the staff sick? Is our employer liable? I'd like to know. Probably not! I just get fired for missing work and end up without healthcare........OMG!
Yes I beleive the health care workers are our first line of defense against a pandemic, and if there not protected it's not going to be under any kind of control if it does happen. Then again the regular flu kills more each year than H1N1 has ( so far )
I normally don't respond to online comments, blogs, tweets or other such time and brain drains.....however....I must comment on this. I voted for our extremely talented and forwardlooking president, President Barac Obama and I think he and his administration are doing the best they can and so far, are doing a fantastic job, for our country and the nations around the world, BUT I do not agree that anyone should be forced to submit to the H1N1 flu shot–or is it a series of shots? Who knows? And, what data is available to us about possible mishaps or complications related to the H1N1 flu shot. It is so new and it arrived on the scene so quickly. We should not be forced to receive a man-made product now and discover down the road–after the dust has cleared–that people, even one person, may have suffered by merely taking the new H1N1 vaccine. Let's leave it up to each person's educated (as much as possible) individual assessment and let the individual make their own decision. That's a democracy right?
No! Too much risk for those who might have an allergic reaction to whatever is in that crap. I suppose I should have more faith in vaccines, but I do not. To dangle one's job over one's head like that is unconscionable.
What they should do is make the staff stop eating junk food and drinking pop and too much coffee. They should tell everyone to eat more vegetables, put lots of raw garlic on ther food (with lots of fresh parsley), drink 2 litres of water daily, take 1000 mg of Vit C daily, go to bed befor midnight, get 7 hours of sleep a night and thank God for their good health. That's a lot more effective, safer and cheaper than any flu shot!! By the way, who's paying for all those shots?!!
Wow everyone here actually believes that this flu vaccine will work! It doesn't stop you from getting it. It only can lessen the effects of flu. Many I work with get the flu shot and they get the flu more often than I and I never get ti. 55 yrs old had a flu age 25 and 52.
Even if you take the shot, and it works without any side effects, you CAN STILL BE A CARRIER! Anyone can still be a carrier from an unlimited number of illnesses, even if they are immune from everything in the entire world. Leave people alone, for Gods sake.
This flu is not a terminal illness, in overwhelming cases. Quit treating it like it is one!
No one should be forced to get any shot they don't want especially when there is no way of coming back on those giving the shot or those produing the serum. Those in the medical field are certainly more capable of making that decision for themselves. Political croonies in this country are getting stupider by the minute & certanly aren't capable of making logical decisions. People need to wake up & see how their represenitives are screwing over them.
I am a home health nurse, and I will be getting the swine flu vaccination, not because I am keen on shots but because it is very important for me to protect my patients! I hate shots as much or more than the next person but this is not about me. I am supposed to be a patient advocate. It is not a question of choice in my opinion, I feel it is my job to protect my patients. It is also worth noting that if I get the flu it is difficult to cover my absence with the shortage of health care workers. I certainly wouldn't appreciate having to cover a sick coworker who was too ignorant to get the flu vaccine and ended up sick.
Hello Jack.As an RN,I'm totally against forced vaccinations,for the very same negative reasons that you point out in your blog.I believe that lack of credible scientific data,and not enough scientific investigation,of the flu vaccines,merit allot of caution,and should not be forced on anyone, much less on the health care workers,until there is absolute proof,that that this vaccine will not harm us or our families,just like all those tragic events,that happened in 1976.I hope this time around,they are taking all the right precautions in avoiding the same unfortunate mistakes,instead of rushing these vaccines,just to make a profit,like some of these greedy Pharmaceutical companies have shown in the past.
What happened to the "free country" we are suppose to live in?
Why not? The government tells us everything we must do & not do – what to eat or not eat, what to drink or not drink, no smoking, fasten your seatbelt, no text messaging, no burning outside, no watering your lawn or washing your car except on Wednesdays, blah blah blah blah.
This is just one more step toward total government control.
Hopefully the government will soon ban tweeting!
WOW !!!- Jack for a miniute i thought this was still America !!!
Jack, if the vaccine is effective, I think no matter what, every body should get the vaccine including the illegal immigrants.
Jack , nobody should be force to do anything that they don't want to . We supposedly live in a democratic society NOT A DICTATORSHIP AS IT IS TURNING OUT TO BE !!!!! What An OBAMANATION !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Roger Zoeller Meridian,Idaho
IMMUNITY AND PROFITS
NY, NY has mandated their healthcare workers have flu shots. BIG ISSUE – the vaccine producers are immune from prosecution. This allows for huge profits at little risk. WHAT A SCAM!!! Of course New York. The home of the Stock Market. Must keep those stock profits up no matter what the cost of human life. Last time there was a Swine Flu outbreak there was a BIG PROBLEM with the vaccine harming patients who received the shot.
Request an indemnity commitment be signed for at least $1,000,000.00 for every person they make get the shot. Let’s see how committed they are to having everyone get the shot then.
Hell, NO !!! Give people all the information about this vaccine. This vaccine was not properly tested, has multiple dangerous, life threatening side effects. Many European health organizations issued multiple warning regarding this human experiment. Jack, you of all people should be to exposing this crime against humanity.
This is insane. We have to STOP IT.
No, this is still a free country and thats against all human rights to force a worker to take a flu shot if he or she dosen't want one They should'nt be forced to do so.
Jack,
I have a background in healthcare and sold for one of the pharmaceutical companies (nasal flu vaccine) that sold the flu vaccine. Not only should the question be how "safe" is this vaccine but how effective it is. Why has the public been led to believe if they que up and take the vaccine, they will not get the flu? Neither the CDC nor the flu manufacturers will publish credible information on the effectiveness. That is why the elderly and the very young still have mortality numbers that have not decreased even when they receive the vaccine. I have never taken the flu vaccine and don't plan on taking it now or in the future.
The vaccine doesn't prevent you from getting the flu. Almost 40'000 Americans die every year from the seasonal flu and swine flu is weaker than that. Why should you be forced to take a vaccine full of poison, thats not gonna prevent you from getting sick?!? Let's use our common sense people!