(MENAFN- The Peninsula)
Fazeena Saleem
|
The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar: Most primary care physicians in Qatar agree that being vaccinated reduces the risk of seasonal influenza spread, according to a recent study and it found that the vaccination rate was higher among those over 45 years of age.
Healthcare workers are considered an important group to be vaccinated against influenza and Qatar offers them a complimentary vaccine every year.
In a cross-sectional study,“Motivators and barriers of seasonal influenza vaccination among primary health care physicians in Qatar”, a majority of 95% of primary care physicians strongly agree that being vaccinated reduces the risk of spreading of disease. The vaccination rate was higher among physicians aged 45 years and above, with a 100 % rate among those aged 65 years and above.
“Such an association was statistically significant. There is a statistically significant association between the vaccination rate, gender, and working experience,” according to the study.
Around one-third of participants in the study think vaccination should be mandatory for healthcare workers. Also, the free availability of vaccines is indicated as an important factor in getting people to be vaccinated.
The study by Dr. Mansoura Ismail, Dr. Kamran Aziz, Dr. Rizwan Ahmad, Dr. Ahmed Sameer AlNuaimi, Dr. Marwa Bibars and Dr. Muna Mehdar AlSaadi at the Primary Health Care Corporation, is published in ScienceDirect, one of the leading sources for scientific, technical, and medical research.
According to the study, the most frequently mentioned barriers were the belief that one could still get influenza after receiving the vaccine and the fear of side effects.“Strategies that address these factors can increase influenza vaccine uptake in primary care,” the study suggests.
Every year the flu vaccine is offered to healthcare workers to prevent the spread of influenza and to protect themselves, their patients and their families.
The World Health Organization (WHO) suggests healthcare workers should get a flu shot every year. If healthcare workers catch the flu, it can increase absenteeism by 30 to 40%, which could reduce healthcare availability. Since many workers show no symptoms, patients might get infected more often, raising illness and death rates in vulnerable groups.
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