Influenza And Pneumoccal Vaccination: A Case Study

Many instances have been noted that healthcare providers are bringing the infection to the patients and not the patients bring the infection to the staff. Furthermore, It is well documented that nosocomial infection occurs (Rice, 2010) and hospitalized individuals face more complications and greater mortality from influenza. Healthcare providers are indirectly causing undo harm to patients that are more susceptible to infections such as influenza. “In nursing home settings, vaccination of healthcare workers has been shown to decrease morbidity and mortality among nursing home residents” (Babcock, et al., 2010, p. 459). One study suggests that there is a higher rate of occurrence of influenza among healthcare providers than residents. “In elder-care settings, influenza among staff precedes illness among residents, suggesting that health care workers introduce the virus into the setting” (Anikeeva, Braunack-Mayer, & Rogers, 2009, p. 25).

Influenza, also known as the flu, is a contagious respiratory illness caused by the influenza virus that infects the nose, throat, and lungs (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,

At the peak of the 2014-2015 Seasonal Influenza Pandemic in the United States, 9.3% of all deaths reported in the 122 Cities Mortality Reporting System were attributed to Pneumonia and Influenza (P&I), underscoring how lethal the flu can be, especially to people who are already sick, children, and the elderly. In the first week of February 2015, over 60% of influenza-associated hospitalizations involved patients 65 and older, the highest rate since the CDC began tracking that data in 2005. Extrapolating that, more than 92,000 people aged 65 and older had been hospitalized

Influenza, commonly referred to as the seasonal flu, is a respiratory infection caused by a virus. Areas

Method/Approach: Multiple articles on various topics such as the immune system of the elderly, influenza flu shots and the influenza virus itself were studied

Thousands of people die each year due to infectious diseases. There are several vaccines recommended yearly in hopes of reducing the number of preventable infectious diseases. It is important for all people especially healthcare workers to understand how these vaccines are vital for infection control. The recommendations for annual flu vaccinations are increasing among healthcare workers around the world in order to improve infection control practices. Although, there are many factors that influence healthcare workers and adults in general perceptions about receiving vaccines in general. One’s knowledge, attitude, belief and healthcare coverage can affect their adherence to infection control practices. This purpose of this critique is to determine which to articles about the perceptions of influenza vaccinations among health care workers and adults in general, provide a guide to evidence based practice clinical decision making.

Many elderlies are not being vaccinated against the influenza virus leaving them unprotected from this disease. The current practice is to treat patients for acute or chronic conditions and prevention is being forgotten. Patient charts and immunization records need to be reviewed by all healthcare providers to identify patients that have received or need to receive the influenza vaccine. Patients that have not received the vaccine will be given information about the vaccine and the option to receive it. This approach will help increase knowledge and participation among the elderly population reducing the risk of getting the flu.

The flu is caused by influenza viruses that travel through the air in droplets when someone with the infection coughs, sneezes or talks. That is why it’s recommended to stay home if you have the flu because it is highly contagious. You can inhale the droplets directly, or you can pick up the germs from an object and then transfer them to your eyes, nose or mouth. Once it’s in your system and your immune system can’t fight against it, you now have the flu too.

Before introduction of PCV-7 in the Netherlands, overall invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) rates were 35 cases/100,000 children <2 years of age, of which 15 cases/100,000 children were meningitis (7). After PCV7 introduction, IPD caused by vaccine serotypes declined in all ages (8). Nevertheless, diseases caused by non-vaccine serotype increased (9). In May 2011, PCV10 replaced PCV7. It caused a decrease in PCV10 IPD incidence in PCV10-eligible children (10). In all age group, pneumococcal pneumonia and invasive pneumococcal disease hospitalization and death reduced in 2005-2006 season in United States (11). Irrespective of this large fall in IPD disease, a leading question is whether vaccination with PCV7 and PCV10 have an impact in reduction of non- invasive pneumococcal infection. A double blind randomized controlled study (12) showed that illness episodes in children greater than 1 month reduced by 7% among those vaccinated with 9-valent conjugate pneumococcal vaccine, where 85% of episodes were related to respiratory tract and 15,16 and 17% were observed in upper respiratory infection, lower respiratory tract infection and otitis media respectively in day care centers. Reduction of pneumococcal pneumoniae in younger and older adults was imputed to herd immunity. Most vaccination are

Influenza is an infectious disease caused by the influenza virus. It is a contagious disease that spreads around the United States every year, between October and May. The virus is contagious and affects up to 3 million people per year. It can spread by coughing, sneezing, or close contact with a person who already has the virus. Symptoms for influenza includes: sore throat, muscles aches, fatigue, cough, headaches, runny or stuffy nose, fever, and chills. People die every year from the flu or flu - related illness, such as bacterial pneumonia. According to the CDC, they do not know exactly how many people die from seasonal flu each year. There are several reasons for this. First, states are not required to report individual seasonal flu cases

The vaccine is thought to be around 50 to 70% effective at preventing pneumococcal disease.

The motivation of this study is to see how efficient and cost effective the influenza vaccine is for the aging population.

Influenza remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality, and incurs substantial economic costs due to hospitalization – particularly for the elderly aged 65 years or more, and among those with high-risk medical conditions. Albeit influenza vaccination is considered the most effective control measure for both healthy populations and the chronically ill, it is less effective in the elderly and immunocompromised patients.

Another way to prevent pneumonia is to get vaccinated. There are two vaccines that are approved for adults one is called the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine and the other is called the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine. It is recommended for people over the age of 19 to receive the conjugate vaccine. The polysaccharide vaccine is recommended for adults 19 to 64 who qualify for the conjugate vaccine (Hess, pg.866). According to The American Lung Association, getting a flu shot every year can be one of the best ways to prevent seasonal influenza leading to the prevention of pneumonia.

Pneumococcal infections cause a considerable amount of illnesses and premature death in the United States. According to a 2005 report from the CDC, pneumococcal disease in the United States is the cause of death for approximately 3,500 people age 65 and under. Pneumonia and influenza remain “the sixth leading cause of deaths for the general population and the fifth leading cause of deaths for elderly persons in the United States (Li, Y., Norton, E., Dow, W. 2004, p. 905). 90% of the total deaths due to pneumonia and influenza are elderly persons (p. 905).