Vaccine-Preventable Diseases and Medical Personnel

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Abstract
Epidemics of nosocomially transmitted diseases in health care settings can be costly and tragic. It is even more unfortunate when such epidemics involve vaccine-preventable diseases. In many hospitals, the physician staff are not subject to the same immunization/proof of immunity requirements as are other hospital personnel. Medical students, depending on individual school or university policy, may also not be required to document proof of their immunity to diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella, and/or varicella. In this issue of Archives, two articles address the problem of vaccine-preventable diseases occurring in health care settings.1,2 Both articles state similar conclusions: programs to ensure immunity to vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, mumps, and rubella should be in place at all hospitals and medical facilities, and such programs should involve all medical personnel, including physicians and medical students. It has been estimated that 10% to 20% of young adults in the United States

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