Early Flu Vaccination Tied to Fewer Symptoms for Healthcare Workers

Reuters is reporting that for healthcare professionals, earlier influenza vaccination is linked to fewer flu symptoms and less time away from work, according to a study by Dr. Adrian Camacho-Ortiz, of the University Hospital Dr. Jose Eleuterio Gonzalez in Mexico.

Camacho-Ortizand colleagues analyzed data on nearly 6,200 healthcare workers over two flu seasons at one teaching hospital in Mexico. During the first season, from September 2013 to April 2014, vaccines were given later than during the subsequent season, spanning 2014 to 2015. Approximately 59 percent of the healthcare workers studied got vaccinated in each of the two flu seasons, the research team reported in the American Journal of Infection Control.