Flu Vaccination Through Peer Immunisation: What immunising staff need to know? Public Health Protection Unit

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Flu Vaccination Through Peer Immunisation What
immunising staff need to know? Public Health
Protection Unit

• NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde

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Why is flu important in health care setting?

• It is a highly infectious viral illness
• Someone with flu can infect others at least 24
  hours before symptoms develop
• Severe complications of flu include pneumonia,
  encephalitis and meningitis
• Most serious illness in neonates, pregnant women,
  older people and those with underlying chronic
  medical conditions - the people most likely to be
  in contact with health care staff

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How serious is flu in some patients?

• In Scotland, in the flu season 2010/11, 177
  patients were seriously ill in an ITU and 63 died
• Overall flu related death rates among those in
  the risk groups are approximately 11 times higher
  than those not in the risk groups
• During the 2009/10 flu pandemic, 12 pregnant
  women died in the UK and the risk in them dying
  was 7 fold higher than a non pregnant women of
  same age

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How is flu spread?

• Flu is highly contagious. It is passed on when
  people breathe in droplets containing the flu
  virus that have been coughed and sneezed into the
  air
• You can also catch flu by touching objects and
  surfaces contaminated by the virus
• From the time a person is first infected by the
  virus, it can take between one to three days
  before any symptoms develop

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How can staff protect themselves?

• Through vaccination this is required annually as
  the virus is constantly changing and every year
  the vaccine is matched against the circulating
  strain
• Through good infection control practice good
  infection control practice is important for
  reducing health care associated infection but
  this may have limited impact for flu as staff can
  be infectious before symptoms develop

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Which staff are eligible for the flu vaccine ?

• All staff directly employed by NHSGGC are
  eligible e.g.
• Portering services
• Domestic staff
• Laboratory staff
• Medical staff
• Nursing staff

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Administration of the flu vaccine

• A single intramuscular injection of 0.5 ml into
  the deltoid area of the arm (pre-filled syringe
  contains one dose only)
• If the person receiving the vaccine has a known
  bleeding disorder the vaccine should be given as
  a deep subcutaneous route
• Skin cleansing is not necessary
• If spirit swabs are used the skin should be
  allowed to dry before the vaccine is administered
  .

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Administration of the flu vaccine
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Is The Vaccine Safe ?

• All vaccines are rigorously tested and the same
  vaccine production techniques have been used for
  many decades.
• The first flu vaccine was developed in 1945 and
  vaccination has been recommended in the UK since
  the late 1960s i.e. for the last 50 years. The
  seasonal flu vaccine is therefore well
  established and very safe.
• The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory
  Agency (MHRA) is the agency responsible for
  ensuring that medicines and medical devices are
  safe. The MHRA follow up all reported and
  suspected adverse events following flu
  vaccination.
• Millions and millions of doses of flu vaccine
  have been used over decades in North America,
  Europe and Australia with no serious safety
  concerns.

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Possible side effects after receiving the flu
vaccine

• Pain, swelling and redness at injection site for
  24 to 48 hours
• Low grade fever, malaise, headache and muscle
  aches for 24 to 48 hours
• Very rarely anaphylactic reaction but unlikely if
  had flu vaccine previously

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Contraindications to receiving the vaccine

• There are very few contraindications to flu
  vaccine
• Check the Patient Group Direction for
  contraindications (PGD)
• If they had the flu vaccine before, there is
  unlikely to be any contraindications
• If a contraindication is identified please seek
  advice from Public Health Protection Unit (PHPU)
  0141-201-4917

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Can flu vaccine give me the flu?

• No
• The flu vaccine is made from incomplete parts of
  the dead flu virus which can not reproduce in
  your body
• The vaccine contains 3 strains (H1N1, H3N2 and a
  type B) of the flu viruses that are most likely
  to be circulating this winter
• Flu vaccine made this way can not give you the
  flu as this is not biologically possible
• The vaccine can take 10 to 14 days to produce
  antibodies, so you could still catch flu before
  it starts to work
• Only 10 to 15 of all flu like illnesses during
  winter months are due to the flu virus. Other
  respiratory viruses that also circulate in the
  winter months account for the remainder of the
  flu like illnesses. Flu vaccine will not prevent
  these infections

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How is the vaccine packaged?

• It comes in a pre-filled syringe in single dose

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What is Peer Immunisation?

• The Staff Flu Peer Immunisation Programme
  simply allows clinical staff to immunise their
  colleagues
• This enable them to get vaccinated on site of
  their work without having to attend a mass
  vaccination or occupational health clinics
• Staff working in the evenings, night shift and
  at weekends can also get vaccinated on site while
  at work

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Peer Immunisation Opt in Process

• PGD Patient Group Direction - legal document
  allowing the immuniser to administer the seasonal
  flu vaccine. Must be signed by immuniser and
  clinical lead for the area.
• The Influenza PGD can be downloaded from the flu
  website in the Peer Immunisation Section

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Peer Immunisation Opt in Process
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Peer Immunisation Clinic Process
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Screening for fitness and suitability of
receiving the vaccine

• Scan screening form
• Advise colleague to print off the
  screening/consent form prior to receiving the
  vaccine

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Recording of the flu vaccine

• Ensure that the form has been completed by your
  colleague prior to administering the vaccine
• Use the sticky label on the prefilled syringe
  which has the batch number and expiry date and
  place on the screening form,
• Date the form and sign your signature

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Where do the forms get returned to?

• On completion of the vaccine being given
• Please return to Carol McCafferty Project
  AdministratorPublic Health Protection UnitRoom
  7.02, 1st Floor, West HouseGartnavel Royal
  Hospital

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Any Questions ?

• Contact PHPU
• 0141 201 4917
• PHPU_at_ggc.scot.nhs.uk