Terri Schmitt, PhD, APRN, FNP-BC, FAANP, Lead Nurse Planner, NPACE

With National Influenza Vaccination Week coming up on December 6th, I’m reminded of my yearly routine regarding speaking with patients about getting vaccinated. “Have you had a flu shot yet?” I ask this question of every single patient, each fall. Frequently I hear a negative response, followed quickly by a statement of hesitancy or outright refusal. For influenza I have all the answers down. I present the science and emphasize the need for protecting others. Still, many patients refuse. Other times, I run out of vaccine long before I run out of patients to vaccinate. Frankly, the combination of informing and convincing patients, and the possibility and logistics of vaccination for COVID concerns me.

In the 2018-2019 influenza season the CDC reported a vaccination rate of 62+% in children up to age 17 and 45+% in adults, with both rates being up from prior years (CDC, 2019). Although herd immunity needs of a population vary by disease, influenza vaccine rates are not high enough to convey such a benefit to the unvaccinated.

Many Americans do not receive an influenza vaccine for a variety of reasons including fear that the vaccine will give them the ‘flu’; the belief that they are healthy and don’t need a vaccination because they have never gotten the ‘flu’ before; that the vaccine is not effective at preventing the disease; and even that it is better to actually get a disease and build antibodies than to take a vaccine. Such myths must be handled skillfully by clinicians and with facts.

Clinicians need the right tools and information to answer patient questions concerning vaccines. And these providers have questions themselves, such as which vaccines are recommended and how often for patients with autoimmune disease, Sickle Cell variations, or a positive HIV status, to name a few. Specific information on mRNA technology, how it works, and what makes it different from other vaccine technology is likewise needed.

Tackling vaccine administration, and patient questions, reluctance and misinformation, particularly in a time of a pandemic, is paramount. NPACE is working hard to incorporate the latest information in an upcoming pharmacology conference and will be presenting immunization updates and providing guidance on vaccine reluctance. Further information on vaccine reluctance and immunization schedules can be found at the following websites:

• CDC updated immunization schedules: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/index.html
• WHO systematic review on addressing vaccine hesitancy:  https://www.who.int/immunization/sage/meetings/2014/october/3_SAGE_WG_Strategies_addressing_vaccine_hesitancy_2014.pdf
• CDC Vaccinate with Confidence series: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/partners/vaccinate-with-confidence.html

 

 

References:

CDC (2019). Flu Vaccination Coverage, United States, 2018-2019 Influenza Season. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/flu/fluvaxview/coverage-1819estimates.htm