Safety

Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an acutely infectious respiratory disease ^1-6 affecting both humans and animals, caused by the family influenza viruses (Orthomyxoviridae).¹ Influenza is usually mistaken for the common cold, however, it is considered to be a much more serious illness and a very different type of virus.^1-6

Influenza is an airborne virus. It is expelled from infected individuals via droplets from sneezing, coughing, blowing their nose and even talking, and this is in turn inhaled by the next victim.^1-8 An estimated 10-15% of the world's population will contract Influenza per year,^9,10 with as many as 50% during a pandemic.

The most frequent symptoms in humans apart from general discomfort are fever and chills, cough, sore throat, runny nose, malaise (weakness), generalised muscular and joint pains and severe headaches.^1-8 Influenza is regarded as a moderately severe illness in healthy adults but in individuals who are already unwell or with chronic ailments, influenza can be very severe or even fatal with secondary bacterial complications like pneumonia arising predominantly in the elderly or young children.^2-7 Nausea and vomiting may be present, especially in children, though this may be unrelated.

The symptoms of influenza infection generally last 3-5 days (can last as long as 7 days); the cough and fatigue may persist for several days, wheezing may persist for 6-8 weeks.³

The period between infection and onset of symptoms is 1-4 days. A person may be contagious 1 day before symptoms appear and for 3-7 days after the onset of symptoms.

The University is a multicultural and multinational environment, with a very mobile population, where people are coming and going from exotic and not so exotic places every day. In addition, the staff, students and visitors are confined in very small areas. As mentioned above, Influenza is a highly infectious organism spread by droplets via coughing, sneezing or even talking.

Deaths accredited to influenza occur primarily from complications, including pneumonia, obstructive airways and cardiac disease. Occurring primarily in individuals with chronic conditions, infants less than 6 months and those aged above 65 years.³ Any given individual will be in contact with others who may be a high risk of developing complications from influenza. We all have friends with asthma, heart conditions and diabetes. We all know people over 65 or have friends with infants.

Anyone who is in the high risk category should me immunised. As the University has a highly mobile multinational teaching and research institution we automatically fall into a higher risk level due to the potential exposures. Please refer below for other risks:

• Do you have diabetes?
• Do you have kidney problems?
• Do you have heart problems?
• Do you have breathing problems?
• Do you have severe asthma?
• Do you have a medical condition that requires regular review by a doctor?
• Has your immunity been suppressed through illness or medication?
• Are you a health care worker?
• Are you over 65 years of age?
• Are you an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person aged over 50?
• Do you live or work in a nursing home or other long-term care facility?
• Are you pregnant?¹¹

Source: http://www.fightflu.gov.au/are_you_at_risk [decommissioned]

The Influenza vaccination is an intramuscular or deep subcutaneous injection of 0.5 ml of Inactivated Split Influenza vaccine into the upper arm.

The Vaccines must conform to the seasonal/annual recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Australian Influenza Vaccine Committee (AIVC) this requires the type and amount of viral antigens, within the vaccine, to conform to the season standards established by the above groups¹².

Vaccination occurs in a room set aside in the workplace, with staff groups vaccinated in the one session. It usually takes only a few minutes to complete the procedure. Once vaccinated the individual is required to wait for approximately 10-15 minutes as a precaution, in case of allergies developing.

In healthy, working adults influenza vaccination has been shown to:

• decrease the frequency of upper respiratory illness by 25%
• decrease absenteeism from work due to upper respiratory illness by 43%
• decrease absenteeism due to all illnesses by 36%

when compared with healthy working adults who had received a placebo⁵.

Please Note: This influenza vaccine will not protect you or your child against Influenza-like-illnesses (ILI), which can be caused by other viruses and bacteria.

The Influenza vaccine does not cause influenza, and does not contain live virus. Generally, people have no reaction to the vaccine although some may experience side effects such as tenderness and redness at the site. This usually clears within a day or two of vaccination.¹³

There are instances where people should not receive influenza vaccine, for example those who are allergic to eggs or the chicken products used to prepare the vaccine. Prior to each individual vaccination, people complete a checklist that covers the circumstances in which vaccination should not take place. At the time of vaccination staff then confirm information on the checklist and are available to answer any questions related to this information.

Vaccination is only administered by trained and authorised staff, experienced in managing all situations associated with vaccination.

No. The decision to be vaccinated is completely voluntary.

On average absenteeism of 10-12% of the work force can be attributed to influenza in any given year,^8,9 not taking pandemics into account which may bring this figure up to over 50%.

The advantages of vaccination in economic terms, estimating both the direct and indirect costs associated with developing upper respiratory illnesses and immunization, indicated a saving of $46.85 (US) per person vaccinated (estimates at 1995 figures)⁵, which has increased to $58.36 was saved per staff member vaccinated¹⁴. Unfortunately the limitation of the above figures is that it cannot take into account the social cost and the personal out of pocket cost of individuals and families affected with the illness.

Spending money to protect staff from contracting influenza is cost-effective. A study of healthy employees provided with influenza vaccination prior to a mild flu season realised significant savings cost by vaccinating staff¹⁴ (cost was determined by vaccine and administration cost, time spent being vaccinated and lost time associated with side effects of vaccination). The savings are more pronounced in years where there are more widespread or severe influenza strains present.

Costs are borne by the Department/Division - refer to Current Year's Program.

The cost for University staff and post graduate student is free if your Department/Faculty has agreed to the program.

Workload Issues

Staff not at work due to influenza increases pressure on those staff remaining at work. This may adversely impact staff wellbeing, reduce overall productivity and slow processing of essential tasks

Safety Issues

Influenza can slow reaction times by 20-40% for those who continue to work whilst ill, increasing the possibility of error or injury(15).

Protection is gained within 2 to 3 weeks; the amount of antibodies in the body is greatest 1 or 2 months after vaccination and then gradually declining over a 6 to 12 month period. It is therefore important to plan a vaccination program before there is an increased probability of infection from contact with others¹².

The strains included in the Australian vaccine for the current year are listed under Current Year's Program.

In short, the answer is Yes. Protection diminishes with time and influenza strains can change, therefore it is recommended that vaccination be considered every twelve months.

2007 saw the most severe influenza season since national reporting of influenza began in 2001 in General Practice¹⁶. In the same period the influenza vaccination rate was the lowest in recent years^16-18. This period also marked an increase in ILI attributed to the low vaccination rate for the year.

It was also noted the absenteeism for the same time frame increased to the highest point since records began^{17, 18}.

Further information can be obtained from the Occupational Health Nurse.

The following public health resources are also available:

• http://www.flupandemic.gov.au/
• Annual Reports of the National Influenza Surveillance Scheme
• Influenza Fact Sheet (.pdf)