AMA Not Pushing Mandatory Flu Vaccinations for Doctors
November 25, 2009
Amendment News
By Kevin O’ Reilly and Damon Adams
The AMA House of Delegates rejected a proposal to mandate vaccinations for health care professionals but approved other policy to prevent the spread of seasonal flu and influenza A(H1N1).
A resolution by the Infectious Diseases Society of America said the AMA should back universal seasonal and H1N1 flu immunizations unless health professionals have medical contraindications or religious objections. In October, New York state announced that it was requiring all health professionals to get the H1N1 immunization, but the mandate was suspended later that month due to vaccine shortages.
“It is our ethical duty to do no harm and prevent transmission of disease to patients,” said Michael L. Butera, MD, an alternate delegate who spoke on behalf of IDSA. “Despite educational efforts, we have 40% to 70% immunization rates that are woefully inadequate.” Mandates may be “the only way to achieve” the goal of universal vaccination, he said.
But delegates balked at the idea of a vaccination mandate, saying that requirements should be a last resort and can be counterproductive if implemented poorly. The house directed the AMA to study the ethical and scientific intricacies of the issue further.
Delegates said hand sanitizer dispensers should be available in well-trafficked areas and urged large gathering places to develop plans in line with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations.
