Flu vaccinations mandatory for medical staff on ‘high risk’ wards

FLU vaccinations will be mandatory for all staff in “high risk” hospital wards for the first time in a bid to stop a repeat of last year’s horror season.

FLU vaccinations will be mandatory for all staff in “high risk” hospital wards for the first time in a bid to stop a repeat of last year’s horror season.

Doctors and nurses who work in neonatal, maternity, child and adult intensive care, transplant and cancer wards will have to prove they have been vaccinated by June 1 or they will be moved or forced to wear a mask.

The tough new policy will also empower hospitals to sack staff who refuse to comply.

It comes as new figures reveal there has been 2588 influenza cases already this year — about 200 cases higher than the first three months of 2017.

Voluntary flu immunisation programs usually fail to get more than 50 per cent of hospital staff vaccinated.

Last year was the worst influenza season on record in NSW with 103,762 cases — nearly three times the previous year.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the tough rules will protect patients and reduce the spread of deadly flu through the community.

Hospitals will also now keep records of vaccinations.

Voluntary flu immunisation programs usually fail to get more than 50 per cent of hospital staff vaccinated.

“Last year’s flu season was just diabolic. Anything that we can do to try and head that off has to happen,” he said.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard described the 2017 flu season as ‘diabolic’.

NSW Health’s director of communicable diseases Dr Vicky Sheppeard.

He implored all staff to get vaccinated.

“I appreciate some staff might not like the idea of being told they have to get the shot but I think the reason why people go into working in the health area is because they really do want to keep patients safe and this is one more golden chance to do just that.”

NSW Health’s director of communicable diseases Dr Vicky Sheppeard said staff had been consulted about the plan.

She said this year’s spike in cases was driven by travellers to the northern hemisphere bringing the infection home with them.

In January there were about 1200 cases of this happening.

Dr Sheppeard hopes the new initiatives will reduce the severity of the flu season.

Influenza Coalition’s Paul Van Buynder welcomed the new policy — which is common in Canada and the US — and said it’s rare for more than half of hospital staff to be inoculated against influenza when it’s voluntary immunisation.