Vaccinations are the best way to prevent communicable diseases in the workplace.
Preventable disease outbreaks in the U.S. are on the rise. In 2012, the U.S. had the highest amount of confirmed pertussis cases since 1955. In 2010, 125 cases of measles were confirmed in California — 49 of those people were unvaccinated, and 37 of those were unvaccinated by choice (not due to a medical condition). We are facing disease epidemics in the U.S. One of the most contagious places in the U.S.? The workplace. We’re not just talking about the common cold here. The communicable diseases that cost the most for businesses are measles, influenza, mumps, norovirus, tuberculosis, and pertussis (whooping cough).
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the Tdap vaccination for all adults, which covers tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis. Only 17.2 % of the U.S. population had received the Tdap vaccination as of 2013. In 2012, the U.S. had the highest amount of confirmed pertussis cases since 1955. Be aware that even if you have received a vaccination, if you are living with or working with people that aren’t vaccinated, you can still catch the disease that you are vaccinated against. No vaccine is 100% effective, but vaccines can help reduce the severity of a disease.
Herd immunity is an important reason why people need vaccinations. There are fewer chances of vulnerable people getting exposed to a disease if others are vaccinated — the bug is not able to spread around as much. Herd immunity numbers differ based on the disease. The amount of herd immunity needed depends on the disease. For measles, there can still be an outbreak if even 90% of the population is immunized against it. This is yet another reason why vaccinations are so important.
Consider how few people in the United States are vaccinated against the flu. In the 2018-2019 flu season, only 45% of adults in the United States receive a flu vaccination. It was an increase of 4.7% from the 2017-2018 flu season. Are you more likely to be exposed to unvaccinated people in your state and in your workplace during flu season? The top five states with the highest percentage of citizens receiving the flu vaccine in the 2018-2019 season were Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maryland, Connecticut, North Carolina, Iowa, Virginia, and South Dakota. They all reported a vaccination rate of 54% or higher. The states with the lowest amount of citizens receiving vaccinations against the flu were Arizona, Illinois, Alaska, Idaho, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida, Wyoming, and Nevada. They all had flu immunization rates of 46% and lower. To compare the difference in vaccination rates between states by age and risk level, click here for the CDC’s National Immunization Survey data.
Does your workplace offer vaccinations? Does it make vaccinations mandatory? Does your workplace offer a reasonable response to employees who call in sick? Or is “perfect attendance” and work production emphasized so much at your workplace that employees show up even when they are highly contagious? Do you provide reasonable and adequate sick leave to your employees? These are all factors that make a difference to the overall health of your company and of your community.
Just because someone knows they need a vaccine doesn’t mean he or she will receive it. In an Australian study, 86% of early childhood education staff knew that not being vaccinated could spread disease, yet 30% couldn’t remember if they had received a Tdap vaccine in the past ten years. Only 33% of employees stated their early childhood education center offered flu vaccinations on site.
Some companies provide vaccines and prevaccine screening to their employees. Is just offering vaccines enough? It appears not. Fewer healthcare workers get vaccinated for the flu when workplaces offer non-mandatory vaccines as opposed to mandatory ones. When healthcare workers have mandatory flu vaccines at work, there is less absenteeism than when workplace flu vaccines are an employee choice. The more employees are vaccinated, the more the employee absentee rate drops.
How effective is a mandatory flu vaccine program? In the first year that Virginia Mason Medical Center started a mandatory flu vaccine program for their healthcare employees, 97.6% of employees were vaccinated out of 5,000. Concerned about infringing on employee rights? Less than .7% of employees at Virginia Mason Medical Center had a medical or religious exemption — and those employees were required to wear a mask at work during flu season. Only .2% declined a vaccine and left the medical center.
In addition to offering vaccines, providing education on proper handwashing practices, particularly during flu season, is essential in reducing illness at work. Handwashing education should include information when to wash your hands, how long you should wash them, and what to do about handwashing if employees report dermatological issues. In addition, workplaces need to offer more than adequate stations for washing hands, because just offering supplemental hand sanitizer is not enough.
Invest the time and money in offering vaccinations in the workplace, and consider making them mandatory if you are in a healthcare or education field. Offer reasonable sick leave to your employees and reconsider your company’s stance on “perfect attendance” and achieving “at all costs” goals. Prevention is the best medicine.
