Flu Immunization Funding for Health Care Workers

Health Minister Jamie Muir today announced funding to help immunize health-care workers against the flu.

"Influenza can be a significant strain on our health-care system," said Mr. Muir. "Annual flu shots are a proven safe and effective way to prevent our health-care workers from becoming ill, and help prevent the spread of influenza in hospitals and long-term care facilities."

This is the first time the Department of Health has funded vaccine for health-care workers. Those eligible to be immunized include all staff and volunteers who are in contact with patients in hospitals, or residents in long-term care facilities. Home care workers, paramedics, doctors and their staff in private offices will also be included in the program.

Nova Scotia's provincial medical officer of health, Dr. Jeff Scott, said increasing the number of health-care workers who get vaccinated will have a positive impact on the health care system.

"When influenza outbreaks occur within confined settings, the disease can spread very quickly," said Dr. Scott. "The goal of this initiative is to protect patients from the flu and reduce widespread illness among health-care workers. We also hope this will help reduce the workload in our emergency departments during flu season."

"We expect this initiative to save the health-care system money as well," added Dr. Scott. "With more workers immunized we should see less time off because of the flu, and less illness among patients and long-term care residents which reduces costs in the acute-care sector."

The department will make the vaccine available to health-care organizations with the requirement that they develop an influenza plan to encourage staff to be vaccinated.

The flu vaccine will be available in October. The budget for the program is $72,000.

NOTE TO EDITORS: An influenza immunization fact sheet is available by e-mailing <[email protected].>