Ask the Experts: Influenza: For Healthcare Personnel

CDC and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) recommend annual influenza vaccination for all healthcare personnel. Influenza can be transmitted before symptoms begin, and healthcare personnel may work while infectious, exposing vulnerable patients. See CDC’s 2026 influenza clinical considerations at  www.cdc.gov/flu/hcp/vax-summary/seasonal-influenza-vaccines.html or AAFP’s influenza vaccination recommendations at www.aafp.org/assets/image/upload/v1788277985/pdf_2026_through_2027_influenza_rsv_sars_covid_2_guidance.pdf.

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CDC and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) recommend annual influenza vaccination for all healthcare personnel (HCP) who do not have a contraindication. Vaccinating HCP helps protect them and protects patients at increased risk for influenza complications.

CDC and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) recommend annual influenza vaccination for all healthcare personnel who do not have a contraindication, including paid and unpaid workers who may be exposed to patients or infectious materials.

CDC and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) recommend annual influenza vaccination for all people working in long-term care facilities who do not have a contraindication.

Since January 2007 the Joint Commission has required accredited organizations to offer annual influenza vaccination to staff, volunteers, and licensed independent practitioners who have close patient contact.

Many healthcare facilities have adopted mandatory vaccination policies for their employees. Immunize.org has included more than 1,200 of these on its Honor Roll for Patient Safety, which gives special recognition to institutions that enforce mandatory vaccination for all personnel who are in the vicinity of a patient (including volunteers and housekeeping staff). To read more about the Honor Roll, or to apply for recognition, go to www.immunize.org/about/excellence/honor-rolls/influenza-vaccination/. In addition, the National Adult and Influenza Immunization Summit (NAIIS) has developed tools to assist post-acute and long-term care facilities that plan to implement influenza vaccination requirements for HCP at www.izsummitpartners.org/naiis-workgroups/influenza-workgroup/tools-for-ltcf/. We hope reviewing these policies and tools will give you the information you need to assist in developing an effective policy for your facility.

Though vaccination is the most effective means of protecting your patients from influenza, there may be instances where employees are not vaccinated for medical or personal reasons. In these instances, some facilities consider reassigning unvaccinated workers to non-patient areas or requiring that they wear masks while working throughout the influenza season.

If a vaccine is covered under the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act, as influenza vaccine is, it is mandatory under federal law to give the VIS for that vaccine to the vaccinee, regardless of age. Therefore, when you give influenza vaccine to employees and staff, you are required by law to provide them with a VIS.

The inactivated and recombinant influenza vaccine VIS and all available translations of it are here: www.immunize.org/vaccines/vis/influenza-inactivated/. The live attenuated influenza (LAIV) VIS and all available translations of it are here: www.immunize.org/vaccines/vis/influenza-live/.

Immunize.org also offers a printable PDF document with QR codes for easy access to all translations of the inactivated and recombinant influenza vaccine VIS: www.immunize.org/wp-content/uploads/catg.d/p2092.pdf. Healthcare providers or recipients can scan the QR codes to access a digital copy of the English version or one of many translations on their mobile device.

Some studies have shown an increase in healthcare personnel (HCP) influenza vaccine acceptance when decliners are required to sign such a statement. In addition, such statements can help a vaccination program assess the reasons for declination and plan future educational efforts. Immunize.org has posted the following suggested declination form for healthcare workers at www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4068.pdf.

There are many professional associations that have issued policy position statements supporting mandatory healthcare worker influenza vaccination. You can find information about these organizations and their position statements at Immunize.org’s Influenza Vaccination Honor Roll web page: www.immunize.org/about/excellence/honor-rolls/influenza-vaccination/.