«Only 20% of doctors and nurses get vaccinated against the flu. And this is a scandal that cannot be accepted.” Professor Umberto Tirelli74 years old, former head physician of Oncology Referral Center (Cro) Of Aviano, don’t mince words. today theinfluenza keep tightening your grip. In addition to hospitalizations, however, hospitals are also in difficulty because many professionals are at home on sick leavethemselves affected by the virus. Only in the Ulss of the Treviso area in these days almost 200 employees are missing (7 specialist doctors and 184 among nurses, technicians, operators), between flu and coronavirus. And so to cover the shifts all that remains is to proceed with reorganizations and overtime.
Professor Tirelli, why are you speaking of an unacceptable scandal?
«Because it is also a question of ethics. The flu vaccine is effective: it doesn’t eliminate infections but we know for sure that it reduces the effects. Faced with this, it is unacceptable that 20% of the health personnel who work around hospitalized patients, often particularly fragile, are not vaccinated and consequently do not protect them from contagion.
The poor adherence of white coats to the anti-flu campaign is a historical fact, which not even the Covid emergency has changed.
“That’s the first problem. The administrations and health directorates should put more pressure on people to decide to get vaccinated ».
Would it make the flu vaccine mandatory for health professionals?
“I’m not saying this, but we should be decidedly more incisive: it is not possible that professionals who work in the world of health do not feel the duty to protect their patients”.
Those who choose not to get vaccinated underline that the possibilities of contagion are manifold.
«Obviously there are also other ways of contagion. But on the part of doctors and nurses, first of all, a different message should finally pass ».