According to many studies, health care staff who are not vaccinated are the main cause of flu contamination within a hospital during an epidemic. In Quebec, Canada, the majority of health care staff (89%) are now being vaccinated, thus protecting patients from contamination. In France, the public health organisation «Haute Autorité de Santé», composed of experts and recognized health authorities, issued the following statement on September 7th. «Health care professionals refusing to be vaccinated run the risk of being the first link in the chain of nosocomial contamination».
In France, the rate of health care staff vaccination remains poor, at 20% only. Nurses are the most resistant to vaccination. One of their numerous unions officially declared itself against the H1N1 vaccination early in September, citing doubts as to its safety. However, most health care authorities have supported the necessity of this massive vaccination campaign. The consumer association Le Lien - advocate for victims of hospital-acquired infections - claims that all health care staff refusing the flu vaccination should wear a mask while on duty. This opinion is not necessarily well received by all: considered discriminatory, vaccination is not compulsory, sick staff should stay home etc...
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