It’s Flu Season Again!
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported that last year's flu season was the “deadliest for children in the past decade.” The majority of children who died were not immunized. The flu vaccine is recommended each year to help prevent serious complications in children and adults.
Medscape reports on the CDC findings and recommendations in the article "Last year's flu hit US children hard.” Many people underestimate the severity of illness that can be caused by influenza viruses.
According to the CDC:
- Everyone 6 months and older should get a flu vaccine every season, with rare exceptions.
- Vaccination is particularly important for people who are at higher risk of serious complications from the flu.
- People with an egg allergy may receive any vaccine (egg-based or non-egg-based) that is otherwise appropriate for their age and health status.
- Flu vaccine prevents millions of illnesses and flu-related doctor's visits each year.
For more information about flu, visit the CDC flu page.
As federal guidance for influenza, COVID-19, and other vaccines shifts, it's recommended to also review any guidance coming from your state health department and professional societies, and to engage Medical Staff in developing policies for vaccine administration that best meet the needs of your community.
This article falls under Clinical/Patient Safety in the Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) risk domains.
Clinical/Patient Safety
Risks associated with the delivery of care to residents, patients and other healthcare customers. Clinical risks include: failure to follow evidence based practice, medication errors, hospital acquired conditions (HAC), serious safety events (SSE), and others.