Should the Flu Shot Be Mandatory?

        People who are at an increased risk for complications include very young children, people over 65 years of age, and those already suffering from medical conditions including bronchitis, heart disease, diabetes, and kidney disease. Influenza vaccinations administered to high-risk people reduce hospitalizations, premature deaths, and they result in substantial cost savings to the health care system. As a result, the burden placed on the health care system is significantly reduced. Therefore, people at a high risk of contracting influenza should seriously consider being vaccinated. Evidence suggests that educating high-risk people about the influenza vaccine is worthwhile. For example, during the influenza season of 2000-2001, 70% of adults 65 years of age and older received the flu shot. This suggests that the majority of high-risk people are aware of the benefits of the influenza vaccine and therefore, they choose to receive it.

        People working in the field of health care should be encouraged to receive an annual flu shot. People such as doctors, nurses, paramedics, facility staff, and visitors play a significant role in protecting vulnerable patients. Health-care workers should be immunized against influenza in order to prevent placing patients in their care at a serious risk of hospitalization. These caregivers must be made aware that their decisions impact the lives of the patients they care for. Data collected from previous years indicates that influenza vaccine education campaigns work effectively. For example, the number of employees in long-term care facilities who received a flu shot doubled from 40% in 1999 to 86.4% in the year 2000. In addition, results from 134 Ontario hospitals showed an increase of 20% in the number of employee immunizations.

        Healthy, working-age adults should also consider receiving the influenza vaccine. They may benefit by not becoming sick during the flu season which can have an impact on the economy. The social implications of influenza infections, such as deaths, hospitalizations, and general sickness, along with the economic impact, make influenza a major public health concern.

        In general, the cost of influenza refers to all costs that are borne by society. This includes “factors such as a loss of productivity in the work force and loss of income by the patient, which results in a loss of tax revenues and an inability to purchase the goods and services that drive the economy”. The direct medical costs of influenza include doctors, nursing, hospital stays and medication. The indirect costs of the disease arise from lost or decreased productivity which results from illness and death during outbreaks of influenza.

        Each year, 5 million Canadians become sick with the flu, resulting in 1.5 million workdays lost. Furthermore, the flu costs the Canadian health care system approximately $1 billion a year. During the 2000-2001 influenza season, 55% of health care workers voluntarily chose to receive the flu shot. It is necessary to note that the economic benefits of vaccination in a certain population depend on many factors, “including the severity and actual costs of influenza-associated illnesses, productivity of the study population, the attack rate, the cost of the vaccine, and the effectiveness of the vaccine during each season”.

        After carefully considering all of the benefits of influenza vaccination, the public should also consider a few important questions when deciding whether the vaccine is right for them. First of all, would influenza be out of control if annual vaccinations had not been implemented? Have drug companies, “hungry for ever-higher profits, driven the influenza vaccination agenda?” Would people’s immune systems be better able to fight influenza without annual vaccinations? The answers to these complex questions lie within each individual and every answer is unique. The answers are simply a matter of personal opinion and that is why these important questions must be taken into consideration by the public.

        In conclusion, vaccination remains the most reliable and cost-effective way to prevent influenza. Influenza vaccination should not be mandatory and should remain the choice of each individual. However, people at a high risk of influenza as well as health-care providers should consider receiving the vaccine. In addition, programs educating people about the benefits of influenza vaccination should become a priority among health officials. Ultimately, people should trust their own judgment when deciding whether influenza vaccines are right for them.