BACKGROUND Pregnant women and their newborns have an increased risk of developing severe influenza and influenza-related complications. In Germany, seasonal influenza vaccination is recommended for pregnant women since 2010. However, little is known about pregnant women's vaccination-related knowledge and attitudes, as well as their risk perceptions. This study therefore assessed pregnant women...

BACKGROUND Influenza-related morbidity and mortality remain high. Seasonal vaccination is the backbone of influenza management but does not always result in protective antibody titers. Nonspecific effects of BCG vaccination related to enhanced function of myeloid antigen-presenting cells have been reported. We hypothesized that BCG vaccination could also enhance immune responses to influenza va...

OBJECTIVE To determine the effect of mandatory and nonmandatory influenza vaccination policies on vaccination rates and symptomatic absenteeism among healthcare personnel (HCP). DESIGN Retrospective observational cohort study. SETTING This study took place at 3 university medical centers with mandatory influenza vaccination policies and 4 Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare systems with nonmandato...

BACKGROUND In advance of a large influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE) cohort study among older adults in Thailand, we conducted a population-based, cross-sectional survey to measure vaccine coverage and identify factors associated with influenza vaccination among older Thai adults that could bias measures of vaccine effectiveness. METHOD We selected adults ≥65 years using a two-stage, stratif...

The Korean influenza national immunization program was first established as an interim program in 1997, administering the influenza vaccine to low-income elderly adults. In 2005, the program assumed its present form of providing free influenza vaccination to adults aged ≥65 years. After turning over the influenza vaccination for elderly adults to the private sectors in 2015, the influenza vacci...

BACKGROUND According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 5-20% of people are affected by influenza annually, and influenza causes more than 200,000 hospitalizations each year. The purpose of this study is to estimate the prevalence of influenza vaccination among high risk adults in Kansas. METHODS The 2013 Kansas BRFSS data (n = 20,712) were analyzed to assess the...

Influenza vaccination is important for cancer survivors, a population with impaired immunity. This study was designed to assess influenza vaccination patterns among Korean cancer survivors. In this cross-sectional analysis, data were obtained from standardized questionnaires from 943 cancer survivors and 41,233 non-cancer survivors who participated in the Fourth and Fifth Korea National Health ...

Objectives. The national influenza vaccination rate among healthcare workers (HCWs) remains low despite clear benefits to patients, coworkers, and families. We sought to evaluate formally the effect of a one-hour time off incentive on attitudes towards influenza vaccination during the 2011-2012 influenza season. Methods. All HCWs at the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center were inv...

OBJECTIVE To describe the results of different measures implemented to improve adherence to the healthcare worker (HCW) influenza immunization program at BJC HealthCare during the period from 1997 through 2007. DESIGN Descriptive retrospective study. SETTING BJC HealthCare, a 13-hospital nonprofit healthcare organization in the Midwest. METHODS We reviewed and analyzed HCW influenza vacci...

Annual recommendations on influenza seasonal vaccination include community pharmacists, who have low vaccination coverage. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between influenza vaccination in community pharmacists and their knowledge of and attitudes to vaccination. An online cross-sectional survey of community pharmacists in Catalonia, Spain, was conducted between Septemb...