עדכונים מהזירה הציבורית בארה"ב:
New York Nurses Say, "No"
The New York State Nurses Association has come out against a state regulation that requires every health-care worker to be immunized against influenza.
The regulation has been adopted by the New York State Hospital Planning and Review Council. It's intended as a defense against a possible fall outbreak of swine flu.
The Nurses Association called the council's action a "scorched earth" approach."While we encourage nurses to be immunized for the flu, we do not agree that nurses should be required to get immunizations as a condition of employment,"said Eileen Avery, associate director of the association's education, practice and research program.
Avery contended that the flu vaccine is not 100 percent effective. "There is no guarantee that in any given year, the public will benefit from mandatory immunization of health-care providers," she said.
The Lancet
...safety issues surrounding an H1N1 vaccine
The Lancet, Volume 374, Issue 9687, Page 358, 1 Aug. 2009
Editorial
...safety of an H1N1 vaccine is a concern. Many national regulatory agencies have set-up fast-track approval processes for the H1N1 vaccine, which means that a vaccine might be licensed without the usual safety and efficacy data requirements. Vaccine safety will therefore have to be monitored through post-marketing surveillance. But some fear a repeat of the 1976 H1N1 outbreak in the USA, where mass vaccination was associated with complications, which stopped the campaign and led to the withdrawal of the vaccine.
Countries need to carefully assess the risks and benefits of rapid approval of an H1N1 vaccine, especially since the disease has so far been mild with most patients making a full recovery.
They must also ensure that they have strong post-marketing surveillance in place before rolling out a vaccine.
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