Background: Although influenza is the leading infections cause of death in the United States, only 40% of health care workers (HCW) comply with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation for routine influenza vaccination.
Methods: This study investigated a novel approach for improving influenza vaccination rates among HCW. Eight hundred employees we selected, 200 each from the following 4 categories: professional staff, resident physicians, registered nurses, and licensed practical nurses. Subjects were randomly assigned to receive (1) no intervention, (2) a letter explaining the importance of influenza vaccine for HCW, (3) a ticket activated with influenza vaccine administration for a raffle of a free Caribbean vacation for 2, or (4) both the educational letter and the raffle ticket. We compared the proportion of employees receiving vaccination and participating in the raffle across groups.
Results: The influenza vaccination rate for all study subjects was 41%. The number of subjects receiving vaccine did not differ by occupation (P = .87) or intervention group (P = .66).
Conclusions: This study provides no evidence to support the use of mailed educational letters or a single large raffle prize incentive as a means to boost hospital employee influenza vaccination rates.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2007.10.019 | DOI Listing |
Science
January 2025
Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Influenza virus pandemics and seasonal epidemics have claimed countless lives. Recurrent zoonotic spillovers of influenza viruses with pandemic potential underscore the need for effective countermeasures. In this study, we show that pre-exposure prophylaxis with broadly neutralizing antibody (bnAb) MEDI8852 is highly effective in protecting cynomolgus macaques from severe disease caused by aerosolized highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdv Biotechnol (Singap)
November 2024
State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
The H9N2 subtype of avian influenza virus (AIV) causes severe immunosuppression and high mortality in view of its frequent co-infection with other pathogens, resulting in significant economic losses in the poultry industry. Current vaccines provide suboptimal immune protection against H9N2 AIV owing to antigenic variations, highlighting the urgent need for safe and effective antiviral drugs for the prevention and treatment of this virus. This study aimed to investigate the inhibitory effects of Hypericum japonicum extract on H9N2 AIV.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFmSystems
January 2025
National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China.
Respiratory disease (RD) is a worldwide leading threat to the pig industry, but there is still limited understanding of the pathogens associated with swine RD. In this study, we conducted a nationwide genomic surveillance on identifying viruses, bacteria, and antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) from the lungs of pigs with RD in China. By performing metatranscriptomic sequencing combined with metagenomic sequencing, we identified 21 viral species belonging to 12 viral families.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVirus Evol
December 2024
ANSES, Ploufragan-Plouzané-Niort Laboratory, Swine Virology Immunology Unit, National Reference Laboratory for Swine Influenza, BP53, Ploufragan 22440, France.
Swine influenza A viruses (swIAVs) are a major cause of respiratory disease in pigs worldwide, presenting significant economic and health risks. These viruses can reassort, creating new strains with varying pathogenicity and cross-species transmissibility. This study aimed to monitor the genetic and antigenic evolution of swIAV in France from 2019 to 2022.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLancet Reg Health West Pac
November 2024
Department of Infectious Diseases, Shenzhen Children's Hospital, Shenzhen, 518038, China.
Background: Research on long COVID in China is limited, particularly in terms of large-sample epidemiological data and the effects of recent SARS-CoV-2 sub-variants. China provides an ideal study environment owing to its large infection base, high vaccine coverage, and stringent pre-pandemic measures.
Methods: This retrospective study used an online questionnaire to investigate SARS-CoV-2 infection status and long COVID symptoms among 74,075 Chinese residents over one year.
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