Influenza vaccination for NHS staff: attitudes and uptake.

OBJECTIVES: Annual vaccination against influenza (flu) is recommended for all UK National Health Service (NHS) staff to help reduce the risk of contracting the virus and transmitting it to patients. However, despite flu campaigns and vaccination promotion, uptake remains low. The aim of this study was to investigate staff attitudes to flu vaccination to see how this may influence their decision to be vaccinated. METHODS: An online survey was sent to staff members across 6 NHS trusts, asking if staff had been vaccinated in the preceding flu season (2013-2014); the survey included questions about beliefs and attitudes to the vaccination, scored on a 5-point Likert scale. RESULTS: 3059 NHS staff members responded to the survey (86% in the 26-59 age group, 77% female and 84% hospital based). 68% of respondents reported being vaccinated in the preceding year. Using a stepwise regression model, the survey response retained as a positive predictor of having been vaccinated was people working in healthcare should have the flu vaccination every year (p<0.001), and the responses retained as negative predictors were the flu vaccination will make me unwell (p<0.001) and the flu vaccination was too much trouble for me (p<0.001). Analysis by staff group showed a significant difference in the response to the flu vaccination will make me unwell between groups (p=0.01), with doctors having a greater tendency to disagree with this statement than other staff members. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that addressing NHS staff beliefs around the need for vaccination, while ensuring that practical barriers to having the vaccination are removed, may help to increase uptake. An emphasis on alleviating the concerns of particular staff groups regarding adverse effects of the vaccine may also be of benefit in improving uptake, to protect patients as well as staff

Journal of African Christian Biography: v. 4, no. 1

A publication of the Dictionary of African Christian Biography with U.S. offices located at the Center for Global Christianity and Mission at Boston University. This issue focuses on: 1. Introducing African Christian Biography. 2. Modern African Church History and the Streetlight Effect. 3. Both African and Christian. 4. Musicians and Composers in African Christianity. 5. Yared. 6. John Knox Bokwe. 7. Recent Print and Digital Resources Related to Christianity in Africa. 8. Guidelines for Article Contributors. 9. Suggested Interview Guidelines and Questions. 10. Guidelines for Book Reviewers

Reduction in leukotriene B₄, generation by bronchoalveloar lavage cells in asthma

Background - Leukotrienes are inflammatory mediators implicated in the pathogenesis of asthma. The capacity of inflammatory cells within the airways to generate leukotrienes may be altered in asthma. This hypothesis was tested using bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) to sample cells within the airways from atopic asthmatic and normal subjects, and by measuring their capacity to generate leukotriene B4 (LTB4) and leukotriene C4 (LTC4) in response to A23187, a potent stimulus of leukotriene generation. Methods - Bronchoalveolar lavage was performed in 12 mild asymptomatic atopic asthmatic patients and 12 normal subjects. Mixed BAL cell aliquots (approximately 80% alveolar macrophages) were incubated with 0-20 μM A23187 for 10 minutes and with 4 μM A23187 for 0-30 minutes, and leukotrienes were measured by radioimmunoassay and high performance liquid chromatography. Results - Mixed BAL cells from asthmatic subjects generated less LTB4 than cells from normal subjects in dose response and time course experiments (area under the curve 81.5 (0.0-228.5) ng·min 10-6 cells in asthmatic subjects and 197.9 (13.9-935.6) ng·min 10-6 cells in normal subjects. There were no differences in LTC4 generation between BAL cells from asthmatic and normal subjects. Conclusions - Generation of LTB4 by BAL cells from atopic asthmatic subjects in response to A23187 was reduced. As the alveolar macrophage is the major source of LTB4 in BAL cells, these results probably reflect reduced generation of LTB4 by alveolar macrophages from asthmatic patients. This may be a consequence of monocyte migration into the lung, or altered alveolar macrophage function in asthma, or both.</p

Healthcare worker influenza vaccination and sickness absence - an ecological study.

Although Influenza vaccination is recommended for healthcare workers, vaccination rates in UK healthcare workers are only around 50%. We investigated the association between NHS sickness absence rates (using data from Health and Social Care Information Centre quarterly reports), staff vaccination rates and influenza vaccine efficacy (from Public Health England), influenza deaths (from the Office of National Statistics) and staff satisfaction (from www.NHSstaffsurveys.com). Data from 223 healthcare trusts covered approximately 800,000 staff in each of four influenza seasons from 2011; overall staff sickness rate was roughly 4.5%. Annual vaccination rates varied between 44% and 54%. Higher NHS trust vaccination rates were associated with reduced sickness absence (β = -0.425 [95% CI -0.658 to -0.192], p<0.001). Thus, a 10% increase in vaccination rate would be associated with a 10% fall in sickness absence rate. Influenza vaccination for NHS staff is associated with reduced sickness absence rates