Influenza vaccine coverage among health care workers in Victorian public hospitals

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Abstract
Objective: To assess influenza vaccine uptake among health care workers in Victorian public hospitals in 2005. Design, setting and participants: Infection control staff in all Victorian public hospitals were asked to collect standardised data on numbers of non‐casual staff and vaccinations administered to these staff during the 2005 vaccination period. Main outcome measures: Proportion of total non‐casual staff vaccinated; proportion of non‐casual staff vaccinated in various staff categories. Results: Seventy‐four of 122 hospitals or health services (85 individual campuses) submitted data for 63 330 non‐casual staff. The overall proportion vaccinated in 2005 was 38%, ranging from 34% for non‐clinical staff to 42% for laboratory staff. Conclusion: Vaccine uptake among staff in Victorian hospitals is low, and increased uptake is desirable to improve staff health and reduce the occurrence of hospital‐acquired influenza and the risk to patients.