Midwives slow to get flu shot

Fewer than half of Waikato DHB midwives have got their free flu shot.

Earlier this year, the health board ditched its controversial flu jab-or-mask policy, saying evidence was mixed as to whether the policy was effective in encouraging people to get vaccinated.

Instead, the DHB is banking on a more supportive policy.

And while latest figures show the vaccine uptake among Waikato DHB staff is tracking higher than previous years, the number of vaccinated midwives continues to lag. As of May 29, fewer than 40 per cent of the health board’s midwives have received the flu jab, compared with 63 per cent across the DHB staffing roster.

The DHB is aiming to have 85 per cent of staff vaccinated this winter.

Last year, then Waikato DHB Women’s Health Commissioner Tanya Maloney labelled midwife vaccination rates ‘‘appallingly low’’.

The Waikato DHB employs 115 midwives, excluding casuals.

Health officials have been on alert over the potential severity of this year’s flu season and have repeatedly urged people to get their flu shot early.

The Northern Hemisphere was hit with a deadly flu season due to the prevalence of the flu strain A (H3N2).

Dr Felicity Dumble, Waikato DHB medical officer of health, said it was especially important for health professionals to be vaccinated against influenza because they were more likely to be exposed to the virus.

Dumble said she wanted to work with staff to lift vaccination coverage.

‘‘What we’re trying to do, and part of the reason the mask policy went, is we want to make this a very positive campaign and we don’t want to make it punitive,’’ she said.

Anecdotal reports suggest flu vaccination rates for midwives were an issue in other parts of the country, Dumble said.

Vaccination rates for Waikato DHB doctors sit above 60 per cent, while nearly 70 per cent of nurses have had their flu shot this year.

Dumble said midwives were busy professionals who worked unusual hours.

It was important the DHB made it as easy as possible for staff to access the free vaccine.

‘‘What concerns me is we need to make sure that we are offering vaccinations to our staff in a way that suits them and with the messaging that resonates with them,’’ she said.

Recent research out of Auckland indicated 20 per cent of people who contract influenza become sick with symptoms.

‘‘So you can have this disease and feel well, but pass it on to others. So that’s even more reason for healthcare workers to make sure they access the free vaccine that the DHB is providing to them. Pregnant women and newborns are vulnerable to this disease, so we need to do everything we can to keep them protected.’’

For the first time, the funded flu vaccine has four strains in it rather than the usual three.

New Zealand College of Midwives president Deb Pittam said many midwives opted to get immunised once the flu season started. Last year, about 54 per cent of DHB-employed midwives got the flu jab nationwide.

Pittam didn’t believe the college had a stance on whether midwives should get the flu vaccine.