Influenza Case Studies

Introduction & Purpose

Influenza is a serious medical condition. To some, the flu may just mean a few days home in bed, while to others it means being hospitalized for days. To a few, the flu or flu-related conditions means death. The annual rate of deaths due to flu or flu-related conditions is between 3,000 and 49,000 per year. 200,000 people per year are hospitalized for conditions related to seasonal flu. The high incidence of both hospitalizations and deaths related to the flu are the reason that it’s so important that everyone over 6 months of age have the flu shot. There are five special populations that influenza impacts more than the regular populations. These populations are the elderly (65 or older), pregnant women, those with

Those who already have underlying conditions, such as diabetes, heart conditions, and more, have a much higher hospitalization rate. They can be hospitalized due to seasonal influenza between 2 and 5 times more often than those without pre-existing conditions. The next special population is residents of long-term care facilities. Patients in long-term care facilities tend to have underlying medical conditions, which may be a chronic medical condition. On top of that, they have a greater risk for an influenza infection because of the close quarters and large amounts of staff. Outbreaks in these facilities are associated with high mortality and morbidity rates. Because of this, it is important for those with pre-existing conditions, especially those who live in long-term care facilities to receive the flu vaccine. Finally, the last special group is newborns and infants. Newborns and infants have a high hospitalization rate for influenza. Additionally, those under 6 months can’t be given the flu vaccine, so it’s vital that anyone who is above that age receive the vaccine to ensure that this population group is

The first recommendation is that healthcare employers implement an inclusive infection prevention plan with a focus on HCP education. The second recommendation is that healthcare employers integrate influenza vaccination into their current infection prevention or occupational health programs. The third recommendation is that the ASH encourage the CDC to continue efforts to standardize the methods used to measure the vaccination rates to ensure the statistics received are valid. The fourth recommendation, which has been disputed by many organizations, is that the facilities that have implemented the previous recommendations and not achieved the Healthy People 2020 goal should consider a requirement for vaccination. This has been disputed as a method which lessens personal autonomy and raises ethical issues. The final recommendation is that the ASH should continue to support advancements in vaccines and vaccination